Typical Development Through the Lens of a Therapist: 18-24 months

Typical Development Through the Lens of a Therapist: 18-24 months

Speech and Language:

Receptive Language (what you understand):

• Understands about 200 words at 18 months
• Answers the question “what’s this?”
• Listens to simple stories and likes to have them repeated

Expressive Language (what you say):

• Speaks in short phrases
• Produces 10-50 different words
• Uses some verbs in addition to nouns
• Refers to self with pronoun + name

Play/Social Development:

• Demands close proximity with familiar adults
• Laughs at playful mislabeling (e.g., calling a banana a pizza)
• Early on spends most time observing other children when in groups – interactive sequences emerge

Occupational Therapy:

Fine/Visual Motor:

• Uses two hands during play
• Turns cardboard pages in book
• Completes simple puzzles
• Imitates horizontal and vertical lines
• Stacks 4-5 blocks
• Uses a digital pronated grasp
• Strings large beads

Gross Motor:

• Runs stiffly
• Walks up and down stairs holding on
• Kicks ball forward
• Climbs up on furniture and playground
• Throws a ball at target
• Walks up and down stairs independently

Self-Help skills:

• Uses spoon
• Puts on socks
• Pushes arms & legs through clothing

Sensory processing (regulation):

• Enjoys rough play
• Enjoys play-doh
• Tolerates a range of textures

Cognition:

• Can complete simple 2-step directions
• Object permanence is developed