Expressive language can be seen as the output system of language. The development of different sounds and combinations of sounds to form words enables knowledge to be expressed and shared with others. We cannot discuss aspects of language without including the development of the many nonverbal ways one obtains and provides feedback. Gestures and facial expressions as well as body language influence how our messages are perceived. Children learn to use nonverbal language skills long before they are able to verbally produce words that convey meaning to their listener.
Children develop language skills at an astounding rate.
A child of one month can respond to voices, at three months can coo in response to pleasant sounds, and at four months can turn to find the sound source in a room. Within the next year that same child will move from these simple skills to putting sounds together to create his first words to mastering a vocabulary of 100 words. By age three a child has an understanding of close to 50,000 words, and generally has most of the communicative skills needed to function in society. BACK TO TOP Developmental Milestones Developmental milestones are meant to serve as an estimate or average of how most children develop. In reality, development is flexible.