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DR 1: Children are personally and socially competent
⇣ Indicator: LANG—Children show growing abilities in communication and language
⇣ Measure 17: Responsiveness to Language—
Child understands and responds to increasingly complex directions and requests
	Descriptors	Examples
9	Carries out a request that has three related steps that are about a new and unfamiliar situation	Can follow instructions when adult says, “Fold your paper in half, then open it up and put paint in the middle.” or “Today, get your paints and paper from the shelf, take them outside to the table and paint your picture outside.”
8	Carries out three-step instructions that are part of a familiar routine	Can follow instructions when adult says, “Finish your painting, wash out the brush and then hang up your smock.” or “Push your chair in, put your book in the cubby and line up to wash your hands.”
7	Carries out requests, comments, or questions that refer to actions that will happen at a later time	Responds appropriately to adult who says, “In a few minutes, it’ll be time to clean up so we can eat lunch.” Responds appropriately when adult says, “Put your blanket in your cubby now. After you’re done eating lunch, you can have it again.” After lunch, gets blanket out of cubby.
6	Carries out one- and two-step instructions about unfamiliar routines or unrelated events	Can follow simple directions in learning a new game (“Tag one of the children in the circle and then run around the circle.”). Responds when teacher says, “Please get me a paper towel and take this paint brush to Sam.”
5	Carries out instructions about familiar routines	Responds correctly when teacher says, “It’s time for snack, please wash your hands.”
4	Responds to simple requests, comments, or questions that refer to routines or to the present situation	Shakes head “yes” or “no” in response to simple questions such as, “Do you want a cookie?” Looks for pet after adult asks, “Where’s the kitty?” Responds when adult says, “Can you find your shoes?”
3	Responds to a few familiar words or familiar gestures	Looks for familiar person (“mama” or “daddy”) when named. Smiles as parents wave.
2	Responds to familiar adult’s voice or gestures	Smiles, gurgles, or coos in response to familiar adult’s voice or touch. Orients toward familiar adult’s voice or gestures.
1	Reacts to voices, sounds or gestures	Reacts by quieting or orienting in direction of sound or gesture. Startles at loud noise.

Measure 17 — LANG 2

Responsiveness to Language

Child understands and responds to increasingly complex directions and requests

As children develop, they are increasingly able to comprehend and respond to communications from others. One important way in which children demonstrate their understanding and responsiveness to language is by following directions. This developing ability is frequently the focus of efforts in preschool programs for the purpose of preparing children for future classroom instruction. As children develop, they become able to understand and remember multi-step directions and to follow directions that are new and unfamiliar.

Newborn infants react briefly and, at first, reflexively to environmental events, including spoken language and gestures. Soon, they become able to discriminate between sounds and gestures produced by familiar adults and those produced by others. Eventually, infants learn that spoken words and gestures have meaning, and they begin to associate words with the objects or events they represent.

As toddlers develop, they are rapidly adding words to both their receptive and their expressive vocabularies. Toddlers begin to respond to simple requests or questions about things and events in their environment (“Where is the baby?” or “Want to swing?”). Eventually, toddlers are able to respond to instructions that relate to familiar routines in the home or child care setting (“Let’s put the books away now,” or “Go get your coat.”).

Young preschoolers are able to apply their language comprehension abilities to the task of following instructions that have one or two steps, but they also can apply this comprehension ability to new tasks or in environments that are unfamiliar. As they develop, young preschoolers are able to follow directions that refer to events that will happen at a future time (“When the bell rings, put your paints away.”), thus remembering over a period of time what they are supposed to do.

Older preschoolers are able to comprehend and remember instructions that involve as many as three steps. Initially, this will be easier when it includes familiar routines. Eventually, however, older preschoolers are able to carry out instructions involving three steps that relate to a new task or unfamiliar situation.

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