7-12 Months

• Looks attentively at a person's face with purpose
• Begins to show attention to storytelling and signing of stories
• Responds with gestures to such words as up, high, bye bye
• Uses joint reference (parent and child looking at the same object)
• Occasionally gives toys/objects on request
• Occasionally follows simple commands (put that down)
• Begins to show interactions to greetings

ASL

• Uses eyes to attend to signed motherese
• Distinguishes facial expressions, angers, friendliness
• Follows eye gaze of the signer with alertness
• Responds to a signed request (come here)
• Understands signs for common items (cup, shoe, milk, more, mom, dad)
• Naturally looks at the visual environment with alertness
• Begins to recognize own name sign

Spoken Language

• Responds selectively to family names, "no," common objects and own name
• Responds to a verbal request (come here)
• Enjoys listening to music
• Appears to listen to whole conversation between others
• Understands words for common items (cup, shoe, juice)

• Vocalizes or gestures to request or protest
• Uses some gestures to communicate appropriately (shakes head for no)
• Responds to the disappearance of objects
• Interacts with objects by holding, pointing and looking at them
• Points to self and things to request or comment
• Uses gesture or vocalizations to protest and express emotions
• Begins to label objects without cueing
• Begins to use first words (bye or mama)
• By 12 months of age, has 1-3 words (signed or spoken)

ASL

• Hand babbles with basic hand shapes
• Begins to great others by signing "hi" or "good-bye"
• Turns head in response to tapping, hand waving or foot stomping to get attention
• Imitates and/or expresses some basic signs (mine, more, milk, mommy, daddy)
• Uses facial expressions, gestures or signs to protest

Spoken Language

• Repeats CV syllables in babble (pa pa) or other approximations
• Appears to "sing"
• Makes vocalizations to get attention
• Makes onomatopoeia sounds like choo-choo, swish or buzz
• Babbles with intonation: jargon of sentence-like structures without true words
• Uses sounds to gain attention or initiate games
• Imitates inflections and rhythms by vocalizing

• Expresses a variety of emotions
• Smiles, initiates eye contact, laughs
• Smiles when seeing a familiar person
• Attempts to initiate turn-taking
• Begins to understand the purpose of two-way intentional communication
• Engages in more social games like pat-a-cake
• Shows a desire to interact with people
• Anticipates activities
• Nods, waves, claps
• Asks, protests, comments by reaching/pointing
• Looks at books with adults
• Responds to activities by laughter or repeating an action
• Indicates desire to change activities
• Begins to direct others by tugging, pushing or hitting

ASL

• Imitates the movements of others
• Fixates on the face and hands
• Enjoys story signing of short periods of time

Spoken Language

• Enjoys being read to for short periods of time