The Rossetti Infant-Toddler Language Scale

Skill Area Age Skill Observation Notes

Interaction - 0-3 months Maintains brief eye-contact during feeding
Attachment
Shows differing responses to caregiver’s vocalisation

Crying diminishes with adult eye contact

Smiles purposefully to caregiver’s face or voice

Caregiver appears relaxed and comfortable in handling

the child
Caregiver smiles frequently while interacting with the
child
3-6 months Smiles spontaneously to human contact

Smiles when playing alone

Smiles at faces of several family members

Stops crying when spoken to

Shows different responses to family members

6-9 months Responds to a request to “come here”

Becomes more lively with familiar people

Shows some initial separation fear

 Shows a desire to be with people

9-12 months Shows sensitivity to others’ moods

Displays fear of strangers

Allows release of contact in new situations

Performs for social attention

15-18 months Plays away from familiar people

Requests assistance from an adult

Pragmatics 0-3 months Laughs at amusing activities

Shows interest in people, not objects

Cries to get attention

3-6 months Produces different cries for different reasons

Maintains eye contact

Vocalises in response to vocalisation

Imitates facial expressions

6-9 months Exchanges gestures with an adults

 Uses gesture and vocalisation to protest

Shouts or vocalises to gain attention

9-12 months Vocalises to call others

Indicates a desire for change in activities

Vocalises when another person calls

12-15 months Imitates other children

Responds to other children’s vocalisations

Imitates turn-taking routines

Uses vocalisations more frequently during interactions

Uses more words during turn taking

15-18 months Points to, shows, or gives objects

Controls the behaviour of self and others

Uses words to protest

18-21 months Engages in adult-like dialogue

Uses vocalisations and words during pretend play

 Uses words to interact with others

Takes turns talking during conversation

Gesture 9-12 months Covers and uncovers face during “peek-a-boo”

Reaches upward as a request to be picked up

Waves “hi and “bye”

Extends arm to show an object

Points to objects to indicate awareness

12-15 months Feeds others

Combs or brushes hair

Brushes teeth

Hugs dolls, animals, or people

Shakes head “no”

15-18 months No items

18-21 months Leads caregiver to a desired object

Indicates that pants are wet

 Pretends to play a musical instrument

Puts on or takes off clothing

Pretends to dance to music

21-24 months Gestures to request action

Gestures to indicate toileting needs

Pretends to pour from a container

Play 3-6 months Bangs objects in play

Smiles and laughs during games

Participates in games with adults

6-9 months Demonstrates anticipation of play activities

Searches for hidden objects

Reaches for self in a mirror

Interacts with objects without mouthing or banging
9-12 months Participates in speech-routine games

Covers face with towel during “peek-a-boo”

Resists removal of toy

 Tries to secure an object out of reach

Imitates stirring with a spoon

Pushes a toy car

12-15 months Plays fetching game with caregiver

Imitates patting a doll

Shows shoes or clothing during play

Demonstrates functional use of objects

Shows symbolic use of objects

Explores toys

15-18 months Plays with a toy in different ways

Plays ball with adults

Places one object inside another

Hands a toy to an adult for assistance

18-21 months Imitates housework activities

Groups objects in play

 Uses two toys together in pretend play

21-24 months Puts away toys on request

Attempts to repair broken toys

Stacks and assembles toys and objects

24-27 months Performs many related activities during play

Chooses toys selectively

Uses most toys appropriately

27-30 months Demonstrates parallel play with other children

Talks and verbalises more in play around other children

Shares toys with other children

30-33 months Performs longer sequences of play activities

Acts out familiar routines

Pretends to perform caregiver’s routines

33-36 months Acts out a new ending to a familiar routine

Uses a doll as a playmate

 Uses one object to represent many objects

Language 0-3 months Quiets to a familiar voice

comprehension
Moves in response to a voice

Shows awareness of a speaker

Attends to other voices

Attends to a speaker’s mouth or eyes

Discriminates between harsh and soothing sounds

3-6 months Turns head towards a voice

Searches for the speaker

Responds to sounds other than voices

Recognizes own name

Stops crying when spoken to

Responds to “no” half of the time

Discriminates between threatening and friendly voices

Anticipates feeding
 Cries at an angry tone of voice

6-9 months Recognizes family members’ names

Responds with gesture to “come up” or “want up”?

Attends to music or singing

Responds to “no” most of the time

Maintains attention to a speaker

Responds to sounds when the source is not visible

Stops when name is called

Attends to pictures

Waves in response to “bye-bye”

9-12 months Attends to new words

Gives objects upon verbal request

Looks at person saying child’s name

Performs a routine activity upon verbal request

Looks at familiar objects and people when names

 Attends to objects mentioned during conversation

Follows single commands occasionally

Understands simple questions

Gestures in response to verbal requests

Verbalizes or vacalises in response to verbal requests

Participates in speech-routine games

Identifies two body parts on self

12-15 months Follows one-step commands during play

Responds to requests to say words

Maintains attention to pictures

Enjoys rhymes and finger plays

Responds to “give-me” command

Points to two action words in pictures

Understands some prepositions

Understands new words

 Identifies three body parts on self or a doll

15-18 months Identifies six body parts or clothing items on a doll

Finds familiar objects not in sight

Completes two requests with one object

Chooses two familiar objects upon request

Identifies objects by category

Understands 50 words

18-21 months Identifies four body parts and clothing items on self

Understands the commands “sit down” and “come here”

Chooses five familiar objects upon request

Understands the meaning of action words

Identifies pictures when names

21-24 months Chooses one object from a group of five upon verbal
request
Follows novel comments

Follows a two-step related command

 Understands new words rapidly

24-27 months Points to four action words in pictures

Recognizes family member names

Understands the concept of one

Understands size concepts

27-30 months Responds to simple questions

Identifies four objects by function

Understands location phrases

30-33 months Understands five common action words

Follows two-step unrelated commands

Understands the concept of ‘one’ and ‘all’

Answers ‘yes’ and ‘no’ questions correctly

33-36 months Shows interest in why and how things work

Follows a three step unrelated command

Identifies parts of an object

 Responds to ‘wh’ questions

Follows commands with two familiar attributes

Language 0-3 months Vocalizes to caregivers smile and voice

expression
Vocalizes two different sounds

Coos

Vocalises sounds other than crying and cooing

Produces a hunger cry

Repeats a syllable while crying

Vocalizes to express pleasure

Cries to get attention

Makes sounds in the back of the throat

3-6 months Vocalises in response to singing

Vocalizes feelings through intonation

Takes turns vocalizing

Laughs
 Babbles

Vocalizes to express displeasure

Stops babbling when another person vocalizes

Initiates “talking”

Demonstrates sound play when alone or with others

Whines with a manipulative purpose

Attempts to interact with an adult

Interrupts another person’s vocalizations

6-9 months Vocalizes four different syllables

Vocalizes a two-syllable combination

Vocalizes in response to objects that move

Imitates duplicated syllables

Vocalises during games

Sings along with a familiar song

Shouts or vocalizes to gain attention

9-12 months Says “mama” or dada meaningfully

Imitates consonant and vowel combinations

Imitates non-speech sounds

Vocalises with intent frequently

Uses a word to call a person

Says one to two words spontaneously

Vocalises a desire for a change in activities

Imitates the names of familiar objects

12-15 months Shakes head “no

Says or imitates eight to ten words spontaneously

Names one object frequently

Varies pitch when vocalising

Imitates new words spontaneously

Combines vocalisation and gesture to obtain a desired

object
Uses true words within jargon-like utterances
 Produces three animal sounds

Wakes with a communicative call

Sings independently

Takes turns vocalising with children

Expresses early developing modifiers

Asks to have needs met

15-18 months Says 15 meaningful words

Uses consonant sounds, such as /t, d, n/ and /h/

Talks rather than uses gestures

Imitates words overheard in conversation

Asks “What’s that?”

Asks for “more”

Names five to seven familiar objects upon request

18-21 months Uses single words frequently

Uses sentence-like intonational patterns

 Imitates two- and three- word phrases

Imitates environmental noises

Verbalises two different needs

Uses two-word phrases occasionally

21-24 months Uses two-word phrases frequently

Uses 50 different words

Uses new words regularly

Relates personal experiences

Uses three-word phrases occasionally

Refers to self by name

27-30 months Uses negation

Uses a mean length of 2.00-2.50 morphemes per

utterance
30-33 months Answers questions with “yes” or “no”

Imitates a series of three numbers or unrelated words

Uses phrases
 Uses preposition

States gender

States first and last name

33-36 months Relates recent experiences through verbalization

Uses verb forms

Expresses physical states

Converses in sentences

Counts to three

Uses a mean length of 2.50 - 3.00 morphemes per

utterance