PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to determine the frequency and occurrence of pre-linguistic elements in normally developing infants during their first year of life. METHODS: The sample comprised 33 full-term normal children, born at the Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, randomly selected for a cohort study. The information regarding the variables social smile, inarticulate sounds, monosyllabic babbling, polysyllabic babbling, first words, jargon and sentences, were obtained through an inquiry (parental information), spontaneous observation by the examiner, and facilitating stimuli. RESULTS: These results set a pattern of normal development of pre-linguistic manifestations. CONCLUSIONS: The results showed the need to review language assessment data already established by previous studies and evaluations currently applied.
Language development; Phonetics; Child
