PURPOSE: to trace the communicative profile (communicative and interactive abilities, verbal comprehension and cognitive development aspects) of children with normal linguistic development between 1 and 3-year old, correlating with the variables of age groups and gender. METHODS: twenty-four children (12 boys and 12 girls) took part in the study, divided in two groups: Group 1 (G1) - children between 1 and 2-year old, and Group 2 (G2) -children between 2 and 3-year old. The used protocol was Behavioral Observation Protocol ("Protocolo de Observação Comportamental - PROC") (Zorzi and Hage, 2004). RESULTS: there was a statistically significant difference in the quantitative data when the groups where compared by their age (P<0.05). When comparing qualitative data by their age group, children of the G2 were better (P<0.05), except in the item with regards to the oral language understanding, which resulted being equivalent between the groups (P=0.217). There was no significant statistical difference related to gender, however, we observed superiority in female gender. CONCLUSION: the used test was sensitive for identifying the differences in performance between the two age groups, with regards to the communicative profile of the studied children.
Language Development; Language Tests; Child, Preschool
