DRDP (2015) Infant/Toddler Comprehensive View Measures

Attends or responds briefly to people,things, or sounds

Shifts attention frequently from one person or thing to another

Maintains attention, on own or with adult support, during brief activities

Maintains attention, with adult support, during activities that last for extended periods of time

Maintains attention on own during activities that last for extended periods of time

There are no later levels for this measure

• Pays attention to a moving mobile.
• Quiets to the voice of a familiar person.
• Gazes at the smiling face of a familiar person.

• Turns attention toward an interesting toy, then back to an adult or a child.
• Actively shifts interest from one child to another playing close by.
• Drops one thing in order to reach for another.

• Briefly watches other children playing and then resumes play with a toy.
• Resumes playing at sand table when an adult joins in digging.
• Dumps toy animals from container, puts animals back in the container, and then dumps them out again.

• Listens to a book from beginning to end and then gestures for an adult to read it a second time.
• Starts working on a simple puzzle with an adult and continues when the adult steps away briefly.
• Continues playing with toy cars, adding a bridge offered by an adult sitting nearby.

• Makes a pile of pretend pancakes with play dough on own and then offers them to peers.
• Builds multiple towers with interlocking blocks.
• Looks through several books on own in library corner during the morning.
• Listens to audio books while looking at enlarged pictures related to the story on a screen, on own, during the morning.

Attention Maintenance

Responds to internal or external stimulation in basic ways

Engages in behaviors that have previously worked to soothe self

Comforts self by seeking a familiar adult or a special thing

Comforts self in different ways, based on the situation

Anticipates need for comfort and prepares self by asking questions, getting a special thing, or in other ways

There are no later levels for this measure

• Cries when hears a loud noise.
• Closes eyes when taken into bright sunlight.
• Brings fist to mouth and fusses when hungry.

• Sucks thumb or fist to soothe self.
• Turns away from sensory experiences such as loud noises, bright lights, or specific textures.
• Nuzzles face into a blanket or a familiar adult's shoulder when unfamiliar adults approach.

• Retrieves a familiar object, such as a blanket, to soothe self when upset.
• Gestures "up" to a familiar adult to be picked up when sleepy.
• Seeks contact with a familiar adult when a toy is taken by another child.

• Softly hums or vocalizes to self when lying down for naptime.
• Goes to cubby and gets a photo of family when upset after a parent leaves.
• Seeks out a cozy place to get away from active play of other children.
• Remains seated in a small group activity while manipulating a favorite toy.

• Asks what's going to happen next, to get ready to transition to a new activity.
• Requests favorite book to read with parent before the parent leaves.
• Moves away and covers ears when an adult brings out a vacuum to clean spilled sand on the floor.

Self-Comforting

Responds to facial expressions or vocalizations in basic ways

Imitates approximations of single simple actions or sounds when interacting with others

Imitates actions, or Repeats familiar words or gestures by others when interacting with them

Imitates a few actions, or Repeats familiar actions or words experienced at an earlier time

Imitates multiple steps of others’ actions, or Repeats phrases, experienced at an earlier time

There are no later levels for this measure

• Pays attention to vocalizations from an adult, such as cooing, heard during an interaction.
• Attends to an adult's face during an interaction.
• Orients toward the gestures of a familiar adult.

• Makes a sound like "Mmmmm" after an adult makes the "Mmmmm" sound during feeding.
• Smiles when an adult smiles.
• Widens eyes and raises eyebrows after observing these movements on an adult's face during an interaction.

• Opens and shuts hands as an adult leads open-shut-them finger play.
• Raises arms in the air, following an adult's actions, during a game of "So big!"
• Communicates, "Bye-bye," and waves, after an adult communicates, "Bye-bye," and waves.

• Holds a toy telephone to ear and says, "Hello."
• Places doll in front of a toy shopping cart and wheels it around the room, placing objects in the cart.
• Engages in exercise movements that adults typically do.
• Wraps a teddy bear in a blanket and communicates, "Night-night."

• Communicates, "Be safe," (using adult intonation) when friends begin to move too fast through the classroom.
• Pretends to cook a meal by taking out play food and pots, turning on a toy stove, and stirring the pots with a spoon.
• Dresses up with fancy shoes and clothes in dress-up area, and communicates, "It's time to party."

Imitation

Responds to people, things, or sounds

Notices new or unexpected characteristics or actions of people or things

Explores people or things in the immediate environment

Explores new ways to use familiar things, including simple trial and error

Explores through simple observations, or manipulations, or asking simple questions

Explores by engaging in specific observations, manipulations, or by asking specific questions

Carries out simple investigations using familiar strategies, tools, or sources of information

Carries out multi-step investigations, using a variety of strategies, tools, or sources of information

• Orients toward a noise.
• Turns head toward a person who comes into view or begins talking.
• Looks at a mobile.

• Vocalizes or gazes at a familiar adult who makes an animated facial expression or unusual noise.
• Smiles when an adult begins singing a song.
• Moves arms or legs when a mobile begins moving overhead.

• Bangs a drum with hands repeatedly.
• Touches hair of another child.
• Pats, pulls on, or turns pages of a board book.
• Watches intently as an adult prepares snack.

• Paints on paper and on arm when given a paintbrush and paint.
• Molds sand using a cup.
• Tries using utensils to work with play dough.

• Moves around a fish bowl to continue watching a fish as it swims around objects.
• Drops a marble in a maze and follows its path as it rolls to the bottom.
• Asks, "What’s that doing?" when seeing or hearing a bulldozer across the street while on a neighborhood walk.

• Puts a dry sponge in water and then squeezes it to see what happens.
• Observes a snail and asks, "Why do snails have shells?"
• Compares color or shape of leaves gathered on a nature walk.

• Uses a magnetic wand to figure out which objects on a table it will lift up.
• Uses a magnifying glass to observe a caterpillar closely, and describes its pattern of colors and number of legs.
• Places a variety of objects in water to see which will float and which will sink.
• Uses a communication device to learn about the new pet guinea pig.

• Examines images from informational books or a computer to learn about the habitats of different animals.
• Looks through a prism held up to the light, directing its motion until a rainbow of colors appears on the wall.
• Sets up a project, with an adult, that involves investigating the growth of lima bean plants with different amounts of water, and documents their growth.

Curiosity and Initiative in Learning

Calms when comforted by an adult

Seeks a familiar adult when distressed, and responds when physically comforted by a familiar adult

Calms self when a familiar adult initiates contact, moves close, or offers a special thing

Relies on communication or guidance from a familiar adult to regulate emotional or behavioral reactions in moderately stressful situations

Demonstrates capacity to regulate emotional or behavioral reactions in some moderately stressful situations, occasionally needing adult support

Expresses strong feelings through constructive forms of communication, seeking the assistance of familiar adults when needed

Uses simple strategies (e.g., leaving a difficult situation, offering an alternative toy to a friend) to regulate own feelings or behaviors

Uses socially appropriate strategies (e.g., negotiation, compromise, verbal reminders to self) to regulate own feelings or behaviors

• Lessens or stops crying when picked up by an adult.
• Relaxes in an adult's arms when being held.
• Quiets to the voice of a familiar adult.

• Reaches toward a familiar adult to be comforted and nestles into the adult when held.
• Vocalizes to a familiar adult and calms when the adult reaches over to pat child's stomach.
• Looks toward a familiar adult when startled, and relaxes when picked up.

• Gets up and looks for an adult after falling down, and then resumes play when the adult gives a reassuring look.
• Stops crying after an adult offers a toy similar to the toy another child took.
• Calms when an adult moves to sit closer on the floor.

• Lets go of another child's toy and accepts a different toy after a familiar adult communicates, "She's playing with the blue truck. You can use the red one."
• Gets a towel when an adult suggests that they work together to clean up a spill that the child is upset about.
• Accepts an adult's invitation to move closer, after noticing child's worried look when an unfamiliar adult enters the room.

• Waits to ride a favorite tricycle without trying to take it from another child.
• Pauses and sighs after tower falls down, and then starts to rebuild it when an adult asks, "Do you want to make it again?"
• Frowns, but goes to play with something else, when an adult communicates that it is not yet time to go outside.

• Insists that another child return a favorite doll, but when refused, asks a familiar adult for help.
• Communicates feelings of anger, through words or gestures, to a familiar adult when another child takes a toy without asking.
• Communicates, "Tôi muổn ngối ở dây," ["I want to sit here," in Vietnamese], when upset that there are no empty chairs near a friend.

• Offers a toy in exchange when another child has a desired toy.
• Asks another child who is painting at an easel, "When is it my turn? I've been waiting."
• Leaves the block area after unsuccessfully attempting to join peers, and then moves to the dramatic play area to join other children in play.

• Communicates, "I want a turn. Can I use the scooter after you go around two times?" after watching another child ride for a while.
• Communicates, "Don't push!" to another child trying to fit at the water table, and then says, "Here's a place," and moves over.
• Communicates to self, in words or signs, that the monsters are just pretend, when attending to a scary story.
• Uses a communication device to suggest a strategy to share the limited number of popular art materials during a collage project.

Self-Control of Feelings and Behavior

Responds in basic ways to others

Uses senses to explore self and others

Recognizes self and familiar people

Communicates own name and names of familiar people (e.g., "dada," "mama," "grandma," or sibling's name)

Expresses simple ideas about self and connection to others

Describes self or others based on physical characteristics

Describes own preferences or feelings; and Describes the feelings or desires of family members, friends, or other familiar people

Compares own preferences or feelings to those of others

• Attends to a familiar adult during feeding.
• Quiets when hears a familiar adult.
• Grasps an adult’s finger when palm of child's hand is touched.

• Examines own hand or foot by looking at it or mouthing it.
• Touches others' hair when it is within reach.
• Plays with sound by repeating grunts and squeals.

• Orients toward a familiar adult when own name is spoken or signed.
• Points to picture of self on the wall.
• Smiles when a familiar adult enters the room.

• Communicates, "Me llamo Luis," ["My name is Luis," in Spanish].
• Communicates names of immediate family members in a photo.
• Looks to new baby sister and communicates her name.

• Acts out roles from own family in pretend play.
• Communicates, "I'm making cookies–just like Grandma!" while rolling play dough.
• Draws picture of a house and communicates, "This is my house."

• Communicates, using communication board, "His hair is red!"
• Identifies own height, as indicated on a growth chart posted on the wall.
• Narrates details while drawing a picture of a friend.
• Draws a picture of own family, representing traits such as heights and hair colors.

• Communicates to an adult, "I was mad when it rained because we couldn't go outside."
• Communicates that a friend is happy because he is going to have a birthday party.
• Says, "Ayokong hawakan ang susô. Na tatakot ako," ["I don't want to touch the snail. It scares me," in Tagalog].

• Selects a pink scarf for a friend whose favorite color is pink, then selects a blue scarf for self.
• Communicates to a peer that they both like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
• Communicates, "“我喜 歡游泳, 但是我姐 姐不喜歡,”," ["I love to swim, but my sister doesn't," in Chinese].

Identity of Self in Relation to Others

Responds to faces, voices, or actions of other people

Shows awareness of what to expect from familiar people by responding to or anticipating their actions

Adjusts behavior in response to emotional expressions of familiar people, especially in novel or uncertain situations

Adjusts behavior in response to emotional expressions of people who are less familiar

Identifies own or others' feelings

Communicates, with adult assistance, about feelings that caused own behavior or others' behavior

Communicates ideas about why one has a feeling or what will happen as a result of a feeling

Communicates ideas about how own or another's personality affects how one thinks, feels, and acts

• Looks at faces.
• Turns head toward an adult during feeding.
• Grasps an adult's finger when palm of child's hand is touched.

• Smiles when an adult continues after pausing during a game of pattycake.
• Looks toward the location of where an adult's face will reappear during a game of peek-a-boo.
• Kicks legs in excitement or adjusts body when a familiar adult leans forward to pick child up.

• Pays attention to a familiar adult's facial expressions when an unfamiliar person enters the room.
• Stops playing, looks up, and then smiles when hearing a familiar adult's laugh.
• Starts to climb on a table, but pauses in response to an adult's cautionary look and warning.

• Moves or looks toward a familiar adult when a less familiar adult enters the room.
• Pauses after reaching toward a peer's toy, to check on a less familiar adult's response.
• Stops in response to a warning from another child's parent about getting too close to the swing.

• Communicates, "También me gusta pintar, me hace feliz," ["I like to paint, too; it makes me happy," in Spanish] after noticing a child at an easel.
• Communicates that a crying child is sad.
• Communicates, "She wants the big truck."
• Points to "angry" picture on emotion chart while looking at a peer.

• • Responds that a friend is sad, when an adult asks, "Why did your friend get his blanket?"
  • Communicates that the turtle was scared, when an adult asks, "Why did the turtle go into its shell?"
  • Communicates, "Cô bé nhớ mệ của mình," ["She misses her mommy," in Vietnamese] when an adult asks, "What happened?"

• Communicates, "Magagalit siya kapag bumagsak na naman ang kanyang tulay," ["He'll be mad if his bridge is knocked down again," in Tagalog].
• Uses a communication device to express, "I feel sleepy when it gets dark."
• Communicates, "I'm bored. I'm going to play with the blocks now.'

• Communicates to a peer, "You're silly," when the peer starts giggling and other children join in.
• Communicates that a peer is shy when seeing her hide as an unfamiliar adult approaches.
• Communicates that another child plays with everyone because he is so friendly.

Social and Emotional Understanding

Responds to faces, voices, or actions of familiar people

Shows a preference for familiar adults and tries to interact with them

Interacts in simple ways with familiar adults and tries to maintain the interactions

Initiates activities with familiar adults; and Seeks out assistance or support from familiar adults

Engages in extended interactions with familiar adults in a variety of situations (e.g., sharing ideas or experiences, solving simple problems)

Seeks a familiar adult's ideas or explanations about events or experiences that are interesting to the child

Takes initiative in creating cooperative activities with a familiar adult

Works cooperatively with familiar adults, over sustained periods, to plan and carry out activities or to solve problems

• Widens eyes or brightens face at the face of a familiar adult.
• Orients toward a familiar adult's voice.
• Quiets when picked up by a familiar adult.

• Reaches for a familiar adult when being held by another adult.
• Vocalizes at a familiar adult to gain the adult's attention.
• Laughs in anticipation before a familiar adult nuzzles child's neck.

• Places toy on a familiar adult's lap, goes to get another toy, and then places that toy on the adult's lap.
• Puts hands near head to continue a game of peek-a-boo when a familiar adult pauses.
• Repeatedly hands little cars to a familiar adult to continue a joint activity.

• Grasps a familiar adult's hand to gain attention, and then gestures to begin a finger-play game.
• Communicates interest in looking at a book with a familiar adult.
• Brings a blanket to a familiar adult and then climbs into the adult's lap when upset.
• Gestures to a familiar adult for assistance about how to remove a tight lid from a canister.

• Communicates to a familiar adult, "Want some tea?" during a pretend tea party.
• Completes a simple puzzle with a familiar adult, taking turns to fit pieces.
• Shares rocks collected while playing outside with a familiar adult.
• Uses an electronic tablet to play a game with a familiar adult.

• Asks a teacher why another child is not going outside with the group.
• Communicates to an adult, "What's the bee doing?" while watching a bee fly from flower to flower or sharing a book together about bees.
• Asks a familiar adult for a suggestion about how to build the tower to keep it from falling down.

• Offers to place napkins and cups on the table when a familiar adult is preparing a snack.
• Brings a board game to a familiar adult and communicates an interest in playing together.
• Gives pretend food to a familiar adult and communicates, "I made some hamburgers for you. You tell me what you want to drink."

• Works together with a familiar adult to complete a puzzle over several days, organizing pieces in different ways.
• Plans a gardening activity with a familiar adult, communicating by signing the materials needed.
• Gathers possible construction materials, such as glue, paper, and scissors, from a supply shelf to contribute to a building project with a familiar adult.
• Works with a familiar adult and a group of children to make a piñata over two days, offering alternatives for its shape and construction and what will go inside.

Relationships and Social Interactions with Familiar Adults

Shows awareness of other people, including children

Shows interest in other children

Plays alongside other children, rarely interacting with them

Interacts in simple ways with familiar peers as they play side by side

Participates in brief episodes of cooperative play with one or two peers, especially those with whom child regularly plays

Participates in extended episodes of cooperative play (including pretend play) with one or two friends

Initiates sustained episodes of cooperative play (including pretend play), particularly with friends

Organizes or participates in planning cooperative play activities with several peers, particularly with friends

• Cries when hearing the sound of another child crying.
• Orients toward other children.
• Notices another child nearby.

• Moves excitedly when another child comes near.
• Reaches toward another child to gain attention.
• Smiles at another child.

• Selects a truck when other children nearby are playing with trucks.
• Explores a toy alongside another child who is also exploring.
• Reaches for a toy in the water alongside other children at the water table.

• Hands a bucket to a familiar peer sitting next to child in the sandbox.
• Offers a block to a peer building a tower next to child.
• Splashes excitedly with a peer at the water table, continuing back and forth.

• Takes a few turns trying on hats with a peer in the dramatic play area.
• Plays chase briefly outside with two peers, and then goes to play alone in sandbox.
• Plays cars with a peer for a short while.

• Builds a train track with two friends, taking turns connecting the track pieces.
• Laughs and makes funny noises or faces with a friend while singing a song together.
• Plays a game of telephone that involves having a conversation with a friend about going on a shopping trip together.

• Invites friends to build a pretend barn for toy animals and, at clean-up time, asks to save it so they can play with it tomorrow.
• Invites friends to continue playing family from the day before.
• Offers a new object for a fort that child has built with peers over several days.
• Plays restaurant with friends, showing them the signs for food to be ordered.

• Plans how to build a boat with several peers, choosing materials and negotiating tasks.
• Plays superheroes with peers, planning different characters and scenarios.
• Joins peers in planning and gathering materials needed for a nature walk, such as nets, baskets, and bags.

Relationships and Social Interactions with Peers

Responds to people or objects in basic ways

Explores people and objects in a variety of ways

Uses or combines objects in functional or meaningful ways

Pretends that an object represents another object or serves a different purpose

Engages in pretend play sequences

Engages in pretend play with others around a shared idea

Engages in roles in pretend-play sequences with others

Engages in pretend play sequences with others by organizing and negotiating roles or rules around a shared elaborated idea

• Cries in response to a loud voice.
• Looks toward a lamp when it is turned on.
• Moves arm in response to a touch.

• Reaches toward an adult's glasses.
• Grabs a toy, shakes it, and then shakes it again.
• Picks up a toy and mouths it.
• Gazes intently at an adult's changing facial expressions.

• Rocks a doll in arms.
• Uses a brush on a doll's hair.
• Pushes a toy car along the floor.
• Places objects from around the room in a toy shopping cart.

• Uses a stacking ring as a bagel.
• Holds a rectangular block to ear and talks into it as if it is a phone.
• Pretends that puzzle pieces are cookies.

• Pretends to be a doctor and takes care of a stuffed bear that is "sick."
• Makes a pretend cake in the sandbox and offers a "taste " to an adult.
• Makes a "pizza" out of play dough and puts it in the play oven.
• Sits in a box, pretending it is a boat.

• Sits in a box with a peer, holding a "steering wheel," and communicates, "My turn to drive the bus."
• Pours "coffee" for friends while seated together at a table in the dramatic play area.
• Pretends to put out fires on the playground with others, using pretend hoses and wearing firefighter hats.

• Pumps arm while saying, "Whoo-whoo," and then collects "tickets" from seated "passengers."
• Plays store, "scanning" items, placing them in bags, and collecting "money" from peers.
• Uses a hose to "pump gas" as other children wait in line with their tricycles

• Agrees with peers on who will be the bus driver, who will be the child, and who will be the mommy, while acting out school-bus play.
• Plans with peers to pretend to be a family going on a trip: using chairs as seats for a car, negotiating roles, and deciding where they will go.
• Assigns roles and acts out classroom routines (e.g., circle time, snack time) with other children.

Symbolic and Sociodramatic Play

Responds to voices, sounds, gestures, or facial expressions in basic ways

Responds to voices, gestures, or facial expressions in a variety of ways (e.g., gaze aversion, vocalization, movements)

Recognizes a few frequently used words or gestures in familiar situations

Shows understanding of a variety of single words

Shows understanding of frequently used simple phrases or sentences

Shows understanding of a wide variety of phrases or sentences

Shows understanding of some complex vocabulary, phrases, or sentences as used in conversations, stories, or learning activities

Shows understanding of language that refers to abstract concepts, including imaginary events

Shows understanding of a series of complex statements that explain how or why things happen

• Turns head toward, or looks in the direction of, the voice of an adult.
• Makes eye contact with a familiar adult.
• Quiets or orients in the direction of a sound, touch, or gesture.

• Smiles or gurgles in response to a familiar adult's voice or simple gestures.
• Makes a sound similar to "Mmmmm" during a social interaction with a familiar adult.
• Averts eyes to disengage from a social interaction with an adult.

• Waves, "Bye-bye," after an adult communicates, "Goodbye."
• Bounces or waves arms to indicate interest in continuing an activity after an adult pauses and asks, "More?"
• Orients toward a familiar person or thing when it is named.

• Indicates a bell in a storybook when adult asks about a bell.
• Looks to the wagon after an adult refers to the wagon
• Points to pictures of a bird, a tree, and a house, as an adult says the name of each, while looking at a book together.

• Gets jacket after an adult communicates, "Get your jacket. It's time to go outside."
• Moves to the sink after an adult communicates, "Time to wash hands."
• Passes the milk at lunch time after an adult communicates, "Please pass the milk."

• Offers to help after an adult communicates, "Would you like to help me feed the turtle?"
• Collects different types of art supplies after an adult explains an art project and where to find the supplies.
• Hands crayons from the shelf after an adult asks, "Can you hand me the crayons that are on the shelf?"

• Adds blocks to a tower after a peer says, "Let's make our skyscraper the tallest!"
• Holds the door open, after an adult asks the child to do so, until all of the other children have come into the room.
• Points to the picture of an eagle and its nest while sharing a book about animals building their homes.

• Communicates, "I'm a princess and I live in a castle," while playing dress-up.
• Pretends to be a character in a story after a read-aloud of the story.
• Draws a picture of a cocoon after sharing a book about the life cycle of a butterfly.

• Explains how to plant seeds to a peer after an adult reads a book about planting seeds.
• Draws a picture about the changing seasons, after an adult talks about why the weather has changed.
• Selects materials that float, while making a boat, after hearing an adult talk about materials that float or sink.

Understanding of Language (Receptive)

Responds to voices, sounds, gestures, or facial expressions in basic ways

Responds to voices, gestures, or facial expressions in a variety of ways (e.g., eye gaze, gaze aversion, vocalization, movements)

Responds to a few frequently used words or gestures in familiar situations

Responds to simple comments that relate to a present situation

Responds to one-step requests or questions that involve a familiar activity or routine

Carries out a one-step request that relates to a new or an unfamiliar activity or situation

Carries out multi-step requests that involve a familiar activity or situation

Carries out multi-step requests that involve a new or unfamiliar activity or situation

• Turns head or looks in direction of voices.
• Sustains gaze at an adult's smiling face.
• Quiets or orients in the direction of a sound or gesture.
• Cries when child hears another child cry.

• Smiles in response to a familiar adult's voice or gestures.
• Vocalizes in response to a familiar adult’s voice.
• Moves toward a familiar adult's extended arms.
• Turns head and looks away after a familiar adult offers a bottle or food again.

• Reaches for a familiar object after it is named.
• Communicates, "Bye-bye," in response to a parent waving and saying, "Bye-bye."
• Signs, "More," after an adult asks, "More milk?"

• Looks up at sky after an adult communicates, "There’s an airplane."
• Moves toward the sandbox after an adult says, "I see new toys in the sandbox."
• Communicates, "Okay," after an adult says, "Your friend wants to play, too."
• Calms when adult communicates, "Your turn is next."

• Picks up sand toys after an adult says, "Please pick up the sand toys."
• Brings a watering can to the garden after a peer asks, "Want to water?"
• Brings shoes after an adult requests, "Bring me your shoes. I'll help you put them on."
• Uses a communication board to make a choice when an adult says, "Tell me what you would like to do next."
• Communicates, "Yo," ["Me," in Spanish], after an adult asks, "Who is the helper for snack?"

• Puts compostable cup into compost bin recently added to the room after adult communicates, "Please put your cup in the compost bin."
• Follows simple direction to tag another child when learning a new game.
• Gets drum after adult communicates, "Let's get ready for the new music teacher."

• Puts toy in cubby and goes to rug when adult communicates it is time to put your toy in the cubby and go to the rug for story time.
• Follows the steps communicated by an adult at the end of an art activity to remove smock, hang it up, and then wash hands.
• Follows adult's request to "push your chair in, put your book in the cubby, and wash your hands."

• Chooses a book and then carries it to the library counter after an adult says, "Find a book and take it to the library counter."
• Gathers different materials from outside, brings them inside, and places them on a table, as suggested by an adult, to create a nature display.
• Cares for a new pet for the first time by providing clean water, food, and fresh shavings for a guinea pig, after being told the steps by a peer.

Responsiveness to Language

Makes sounds spontaneously

Uses sounds, gestures, or facial expressions to communicate

Uses a few "first words," word-like sounds, or gestures to communicate

Uses a variety of single words to communicate

Uses two words together to communicate

Uses short phrases or sentences of more than two words to communicate

Uses short sentences that contain nouns, verbs, and other words, such as adjectives and recently encountered vocabulary, to communicate

Uses phrases and sentences with a variety of word forms, including past tense, future tense, plurals, pronouns, or possessives, to communicate, sometimes with errors

Combines phrases and sentences with a variety of word forms to communicate ideas or to describe people, objects, or events

• Cries.
• Coos.
• Gurgles.

• Smiles when a familiar person approaches.
• Cries or looks at an adult when hungry.
• Vocalizes or babbles while interacting with an adult.

• Asks for food when hungry, by using a special word, sound, or gesture for food.
• Communicates, "Mama," "Dada," "Baba," or similar word approximations.
• Reaches for or gestures for an object.

• Names familiar foods, toys, or family members.
• Communicates ideas such as "No," "More," or "Up."
• Indicates a picture of a ball when asked what the child wants to play with next.

• Communicates, "Mommy come," when wanting a parent.
• Communicates, "More juice," when thirsty.
• Communicates, "“我的 卡車!" ["My truck!" in Chinese] after another child takes a toy truck.

• Communicates, "A mÍ me toca," ["It's my turn," in Spanish] when an adult brings the pet rabbit for a visit.
• Communicates, "I want mommy."
• Communicates, "I like dogs," while looking at an animal book.

• Communicates, "The rabbit is scared," when the pet rabbit snuggles into an adult's lap. ("Scared" is an adjective.)
• Communicates using a communication board, "I need a tissue. My nose is runny." ("Tissue" is a noun and "runny" is an adjective.)
• Communicates, "Malaking malaki ang aso namin," ["Our dog is huge," in Tagalog] after hearing a peer use the word "huge." ("Huge" is a recently encountered vocabulary word.)

• Communicates to a peer, during play, "Yesterday we made vegetable soup." ("We" is a pronoun; "made" is past tense.)
• Communicates, "His birthday is tomorrow. He will be five." ("His" is a possessive pronoun; "he" is a pronoun; "will be" is future tense.)
• Communicates in sign language that the cat's feet are wet. ("Cat's" is possessive; "feet" is plural.)
• Communicates, "He runned really fast," [He ran really fast]. ("Runned" is past tense with a grammatical error.)

• Communicates, "Dragons don't need bikes 'cause they can fly. They have really big wings."
• Communicates to a peer, "Let's hurry and clean up so we can go outside to ride bikes."
• Communicates via spoken words, signs, or a communication device, "The dog ate the cat's food, and then he got in trouble. We put him outside and he was very sad."
• Communicates, "Mi abuela es muy vieja. Tiene el cabello blanco y muchas arrugas," "My grandma is really old. She has white hair and lots of wrinkles," in Spanish].

Communication and Use of Language (Expressive)

Responds to sounds or movements of others in basic ways

Responds to or seeks contact with familiar adults, using vocalizations, gestures, or facial expressions during interactions

Engages in brief back-and-forth communication with a familiar adult, using word approximations, vocalizations, gestures, or facial expressions

Engages in brief back-and-forth communication with a familiar adult, using simple words or conventional gestures to communicate meaning

Engages in brief back-and-forth communication, combining words to communicate meaning

Engages in brief back-and-forth communication, using short phrases and sentences

Engages in brief conversations with a shared focus

Engages in conversations with a shared focus, contributing clarifying comments or building on the other person's ideas

Engages in extended focused conversations that involve reasoning, predicting, problem solving, or understanding ideas

• Looks in the direction of voices or movement.
• Quiets in response to sound.
• Turns toward the soft touch of an adult.
• Looks at a familiar adult during feeding.

• Smiles at an approaching familiar adult.
• Makes sounds when a familiar adult stops talking.
• Reaches toward a familiar adult.

• Expresses, "Ba," in response to an adult talking about a ball, and then waits for the adult to respond.
• Waves, "Good-bye," after parent waves, "Goodbye."
• Covers eyes to signal an adult to continue playing peek-a-boo.

• Communicates, "Yes," or "No," after an adult asks, "Do you want more milk?"
• Rubs eyes and responds, "Night-night," after a familiar adult asks, "Are you tired?"
• Brings a ball to an adult, and then responds, "Ball," after the adult asks, "Do you want me to play ball with you?"

• Makes eye contact with an adult while holding a stuffed bear. When the adult asks, "Whose teddy bear is that?" communicates, "My bear."
• Communicates with an adult, during lunch, "Thêm phô mai,” ["More cheese," in Vietnamese]. When the adult responds, "You really like cheese!" communicates, "Con thích phô mai," ["I like cheese," in Vietnamese].
• Communicates, "That's a monkey," while reading a story with an adult. When the adult says, "Yes, he's climbing," replies, "Climbing up high."

• Communicates, "我是 寶寶," ["I'm the baby," in Chinese] after a peer communicates, "I'm the mommy," while playing house.
• Hands play dough to a peer. When the peer takes the play dough and says, "I'm gonna make a dog," responds, "I'm making a snake."
• Asks a peer for some blocks to put in child's truck while playing with trucks. When the peer replies, "Here," and hands over several blocks, responds, "That's too many," and takes only two blocks from the peer

• Communicates, "That's my family," while looking at a photo with a peer. When the peer says, "You have two sisters," responds, "I have a big sister, and that's my baby sister."
• Responds to an adult's comments about animals that live in the zoo, "Fui al zoológico," ["I went to the zoo," in Spanish]. When an adult replies, "There are lots of animals in the zoo," child says, "Los caimanes son los animales que más me gustan," ["I like the alligators best," in Spanish] and continues to converse about other animals at the zoo.
• Has a brief conversation with a peer while looking at a caterpillar together. Comments, "That is really hairy." When peer responds, "Yeah, really hairy," child continues, "He has lots of legs, too."

• Has a conversation with a peer about things that they like to do together with their families. Says, "My family goes to the park on Sundays." When peer asks, "Every Sunday?" child responds, "Yeah, but sometimes we go to the park with the swimming pool and sometimes the park with the big playground." Then when peer says, "My grandma takes me to the park," child responds, "My grandma takes me to the store." Conversation continues.
• Has a conversation with an adult about the size of dinosaurs. When the adult says that dinosaurs were all different sizes, child responds by naming a big dinosaur, then naming a small dinosaur. Then when the adult says that some dinosaurs had horns, child continues the conversation by saying that some dinosaurs flew like birds.

• Has a conversation with an adult while planting sunflower seeds together, asking how to plant the seeds and making guesses about how big the plants will get and how long it will take before the plants begin to grow.
• Has a conversation with a peer before and while building a fort, including offering ideas on what materials they need and suggesting ways to make sure that the walls keep standing as they are building it.
• Has a conversation with an adult about how dinosaurs lived and how people live, providing suggestions about what it would be like if dinosaurs and people lived in the same place.

^* Conversations can include communication using sign language or alternative communication systems.

Reciprocal Communication and Conversation

Attends or responds to people or things in basic ways

Plays with books; and Responds to other literacy activities

Attends briefly to a familiar adult reading books, singing songs, or saying rhymes

Looks at books on own briefly, or Chooses to join reading, singing, or rhyming activities led by an adult

Looks at books page by page, or Participates, from beginning to end, in listening to stories, singing songs, or playing rhyming games, when supported by an adult

Initiates looking at and talking about books, listening to and talking about stories, singing songs, or playing rhyming games

Extends literacy activities by retelling a story, drawing pictures about a story, or acting out a story

Initiates literacy activities that relate to classroom experiences as well as to own experiences or interests

• Quiets to the sound of a familiar voice.
• Moves in response to an approach by a familiar adult.
• Orients to an adult's face or voice during a caregiving routine.

• Interacts with a cloth or board book by holding or mouthing it.
• Pats a textured board book.
• Vocalizes or laughs in response to an adult singing and gesturing a simple finger-play song, such as, "Pat-a-Cake" or "Los cinco deditos," ["Five Little Fingers," a finger play in Spanish].

• Looks at pictures in a book for a short time while a familiar adult reads the book.
• Reaches to turn the page of a board book as a familiar adult talks or signs about the pictures on the page.
• Uses simple hand movements to participate during a familiar song or rhyme with a familiar adult.
• Touches textured or tactile content on pages of a book as an adult is reading the book.

• Joins a group doing a simple finger play led by an adult.
• Points at a picture when joining an adult who is reading a book, newspaper, or tablet.
• Picks up a book and looks at pictures, turns a few pages, and then drops the book to go play.

• Pretends to read a book from start to finish.
• Explores a book with Braille and tactile content with hands.
• Sings some words of a familiar song, from beginning to end, with an adult.

• Asks questions or communicates about why something happened in a story.
• Starts a song or rhyme with others while playing outside.
• Uses finger puppets while reciting a familiar rhyme.

• Uses flannel-board pieces to retell parts of a story after story time.
• Retells a familiar story to a peer while pretending to read from a book.
• Uses a communication device to tell the sequence of events in a favorite story.
• Pretends to be a character from a story, using props.

• Chooses to read a book related to a particular theme or interest (e.g., dinosaurs or fairies).
• Asks for help finding a book about bugs after a nature walk.
• Participates, with others, in using the computer to create a story about a class trip.

Interest in Literacy