This course will focus on the early communication and language development of children during the preschool and early school years. It will provide students with knowledge on the contemporary research methods, as well as the most recent empirical results concerning the emergence and development of various dimensions of linguistic knowledge (e.g., the transition from preverbal to linguistic communication, phonological development, lexical, morphosyntactic and pragmatic development, development of narratives, etc.). In parallel, it will focus on the developmental milestones which are considered important indices for the distinction between ‘typically’ and ‘atypically’ developing populations. Finally, the importance of an early detection of possible deviations or delays in language development, as well as the role of the early years teacher in the process of linguistic evaluation will be discussed.