Around 12 months of age, which behavior is most likely to be observed?

• A. Canonical babbling
• B. Use of gestures only
• C. Single words and pointing
• D. Combining words

Answer: (C)

Around a year, children typically move from pure babbling toward true language, combining spoken words with gesture. Canonical babbling happens earlier, so by around 12 months many kids have started using first words and still rely on a pointing gesture to indicate objects, wants, or share attention. Using single words along with pointing shows both verbal and nonverbal communication emerging together, which is exactly what you’d expect at this stage. Waiting to combine words usually doesn’t occur until later, around 18–24 months, so that broader two-word combination pattern isn’t the norm yet.