Social Communication Three to Six Years Old

Goal: Use words, phrases and sentences to inform, direct, ask questions and express anticipation, imagination, affect and emotions. What to look for: Does the child use words, phrases or sentences to Describe objects, actions or events, and tell about plans, intentions and experiences Get information Make commands and requests of others Describe actions and events that occurred in the immediate and distant past Label affect/emotions of others or themselves Describe pretend objects, events or people Express anticipated outcomes

Goal: Use conversational rules What to look for: When having a conversation, does the child Respond to others topics with statements and questions Initiate comments relevant to the situation Respond to contingent questions by giving relevant information Ask questions for clarification when they dont understand or the message is not specific Respond to topic changes initiated by others with a comment, answer or questions Alternates between the speaker/listener role

Goal: Establishes and varies social-communicative roles What to look for: Does the child use socially appropriate physical orientation by looking at speaker and using appropriate physical proximity vary voice to impart meaning by changing their pitch (high/low) and how loud/soft they speak

Goal: Production of words, phrases, sentences What types of verbs does the child use Auxiliary (helping) verbs (is running, were throwing) Regular past-tense verb (kicked) Irregular past-tense verb (flew) Third-person singular verb form (She plays) Uses copula verb to be (is happy, am big) Verb + ing (jumping)

Goal: To use noun inflections What types of nouns does the child use Uses regular plural nouns (dogs) Uses irregular plural nouns (geese) Uses possessive s (dogs food)

Goal: Asks questions What types of questions does the child use Asks questions by raising their pitch at the end of a statement (cup?) Asks What and Where questions (What is that? Where is she going?) Asks Why, Who and How questions (Why did you do that? Who is it? How do you do that?) Asks When questions (When can we go?) Asks questions with inverted auxiliary (Is he hiding? Can I go?) Asks Yes/No questions

Goal: Uses pronouns What types of pronouns does the child use Uses demonstrative pronouns (I want this, that one) Uses indefinite pronouns (I have some, Do you want any) Uses possessive pronouns (his toy, mine) Uses pronouns as the object in a phrase or sentence (I gave it to her) Uses pronouns as the subject in a phrase or sentence (They went home)

Goal: Uses descriptive words What types of descriptive words does the child use Uses articles before nouns (a, the, an) Uses conjunctions to connect words, phrases or sentences (so, or, and) Uses prepositions (in, on, under) Uses adverbs (quickly, merrily) Uses adjectives to make comparisons (bigger, best, most) Uses adjectives to modify nouns and pronouns (cold, red, big, little)