As future Speech-Language Pathologists, these milestones of normal language acquisition are incredibly important to learn and become familiar with. This is because we will be dealing with clients of all languages and ages and need to understand the bases of human communication development to properly treat and diagnose our clients. We will also be able to better understand our clients diagnosis and treatment if we know the normal language acquisitions of individuals their age.

This NLA resource will be able to assist me throughout my graduate career and I will be able to come back time and time again to this website to help me with my clients and studies.

An important consideration to note when going through this website on normal language acquisition is to familiarize yourself with the difference between speech and language. Many people believe these two terms are the same thing, but they are actually very different and not understanding the differences between the two can effect your therapy goals and techniques.

Speech refers to the actual sound and words we produce. Speech involves articulated sounds that are produced by the vocal cords and other structures in the mouth and nose. These sounds are then processed by our ears and sent to the brain to be understood. Typically, speech involves articulation, voice, and fluency.

Language refers to the way humans communicate with each other. This can involve words or symbols that are used to share ideas or to achieve a goal. Language can be used to understand what words mean, how to make new words, how to put words together, and what words to use in different contexts. One of the main goals of language is to communicate meaning.

(Class notes)

For this project, speech milestones will be highlighted as red. Language milestones will be highlighted as green.