If you (or your partner) were to have a baby tomorrow, you would anticipate with great spirit the ...

Answer to q. 1

First you would expect communication attempts to center around crying, which is a child's rudimentary way of expressing him- or herself. At about two months of age, single-vowel cooing will show up, followed by repetitive, single syllabus utterances called babbling. Babbling should first appear at around six months of age. Babbling will become more speech-like between 8 and 11 months of age, and between 10 and 14 months of age the first true word will be spoken. Some instructors may use the standard that normal age expectation for the first spoken word is one year of age.

Answer to q. 2

Vocabulary in middle childhood is quite expansive. Children of this age understand up to 10,000 words and
know significantly more words than they can speak. In order to read, children need to be able to integrate
visual and auditory information. This can be done phonetically and by word recognition. Word recognition relies
upon sight, whereas phonetics relies upon sound. Children generally progress from very simple to more
inclusive rules. In other words, children will move from very concrete to more expansive language, and this
progress reflects their cognitive development.