Developed for FIRST YEARS (http://firstyears.

org/) - Listening Spoken Language Development Intervention

Sherri Vernelson, 2009

Bloom & Lahey Model: Normal Developmental Sequence of Expressive Language

0
to
1

INPUT

C P
A H

EXISTENCE

PRECURSORY
NONEXISTENCE

ball man all gone no

there
no more
1
to 2 this necklace no pocket
a rabbit
2
no dirty
1

3 that a

RECURRENCE

more

REJECTION

no

DENIAL

no

more coke
more light

ATTRIBUTION

dirty
hot

hot stove dolly hat

dirty pants mommy sock

funny man

no want
that

Patsy's pen
this another
clown
what's this
5 that's a book

who that?

no bear
book

I can't reach

it's not in
the bag

there's the

that's daddy's

bolt barrels

birthday

not bolts

that's my's
I not tired

I didn't get it*

3
to 6
4

ACTION

LOCATIVE
ACTION

LOCATIVE
STATE

STATE

QUANTITY

NOTICE

TEMPORAL

ADDITIVE

CAUSAL

DATIVE

SPECIFICATION

EPISTEMIC

ADVERSATIVE

COMMUNICATION

da mommy wash - open

mine
turn - help

no more soap

2
that's red one
to 4 this a my bike
3
that's a

Adapted from: Lahey, M. (1988). Language Disorders and Language Development. New York: Macmillan.

GOALS
POSSESSION

up
sit
out
a eat juice - read a up Pat sweater
book
ride this
Mommy open that
I do it
Katie read this

chair away picture

man sit train

lamb a go car
lamb go in there

a dolly up here I want book

baby basket baby sleep

baby in
Gia want daddy

man read another

book - can't do it

tape on truck
baby in bed*

I write my pan
there's a tape - go
round right there
I draw red man
make a big tree
I broke a bridge
I fed a ducky
I found choo choo
train there
don't touch my
blocks
I going wash
my hands
I want touch here

where is it?

two cow
library
books

want eat my snack

two cows
I wanna go outside
I'm open door
where man go gonna make it man/
house
gonna take wheel out
put her down in the
cradle
put this on my lap
not going away
I put on a Sue pin
you putting your
sweater on
I going out to playground

mommy hangs my

it fell down

socks up

mama went bye-bye

here goes a
green wheel/
there goes a
green wheel
I put a little thing
in it
I get more lamb
in the train
who broke it
what you doing
now what should
we do with em
what's the boy
feeding

I want some
more egg
I got new pail
Tim want red one

RECEPTION

I writing circle

I hear Kevin

man making muffins

oooh, look at
the rabbit

Gia did book

look at that

there - that goes here

this one goes in

I have
some
orange
juice

that be the stove/

want cook it/I dump
out this way/stir it
going to see Nana
and Bill and Jack
Look there's a bear
having a b'day party
and there's a buzz
and the little girl goes
out the bathtub
and eats

many
I have to get your hat clay
I want to look
hafta play ball
all these
want to see that
in there
noise
I want my table
and chair

now/ your turn

now my turn
let's go get a cup
for them ok/and
they gonna have
some cereal
Ed's going home
and take his coat off

I want my supper
She has a band-aid

on her toe
I can do it
I want mommy get it

want the man

stand up

PERCEPTION

SEQUENTIAL

I gon see
there's more
tape

let the mommy into

the frigerator and get
some pineapple
yogart and then
she come out

look I found

SIMULTANEOUS
I can only have the
bear when I go to sleep

4
to 8
5

I want this doll to

stay here
I want Pat's doll to
stay

watch what
I'm doing
see how fast
I can run
PERCEPTION

I better get a pot

holder because I

I hafta get that knife

so I can cut the cake

want something to
eat

choo-choo train
can't go anyplace/
fix dat

going take it**

I dirty so I take a bath*
you can't see it cause
it's way inside
I gonna step in puddle
with sandals on and
get it all wet
you bend her over
ok/so I can put her
on this rocking chair
so she can rock
you stay away cause
I hafta go in there
let's all take all the
books out so we can
read them

b/c is all covered up

I dumped all these
blocks out and

why are you

putting it right
there

now let me
try to see if I
could hit

are sleeping & every

I need
this blue*
you get
some
Kathryn

unbutton it
I want spoon and I

why

made a big big mess

open door I want

Ms. Bloom that brush

I want a handkerchief/

You try to put the

boy on there b/c he
keeps falling off/o.k
she sweeps

look what my
mommy got me

why'd you bring

these shoes

this is a
let's put
stool for you these in

the box
will you open
these for me
give the ball
to John
looks like a fish- I don't know
ing thing and
what color
I know where
you fish with it
he put it*
this what I got
I think I put
in New York
some lot of
sugar in there
and that's where I think draw
the cake goes
pink first

the man who

fixes the door

I asked you to buy

more cereal

it's just a thing

that I hold

Mommy said I can

have it

this is the big

one that goes
over there

would you help

me show you
how to do a
somersault
you go in there
and watch me
eat Lois

body's sleeping
I was scratching
my head
he isn't having
any food
maybe the mommy
will wash the boy
and the girl
when will you go
home

This chart identifies the normal developmental sequence of utterances that a child learning English expresses; i.e. says, signs, or cues.
In most children, comprehension develops before expression, meaning that most children are likely to comprehend utterances much more complex than the utterrances they are able to spontaneously express at the same
time. Input by a person fluent in English should be abundant throughout the language acquisition process and is absolutely necessary for both comprehension and expression to develop.
Notes:
* This specific utterance is not in the book, but it is the type of utterence specified in the book.

the butterflies saw

the bumble
bees here
but they
a not
coming out

the bunny rabbits

might burn my hands

they should sit down

in a chair

dirty hands/
hafta wash 'em

** This utterence is from the first edition of the book.

revised: 5/30/09