Identification
Language development is the process by which children learn to express themselves and to interact with others. Children are learning the purpose and rules of language even from birth, when caregivers respond to cries, and during the toddler and preschool years, when language is communicated through words, signs, books and gestures. Language milestones or timetables serve as a guide to normal language development and indicate "a general age and time" when most children will master certain skills, according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.