Infant Vocabulary Checklist (OZI-SF)

Introducing the OZI-SF

Ever wondered how your child is going with their talking? You can use a checklist that we created for Australian parents. It’s called the OZI-SF (Short Form of the OZI, pronounced “oz-eye”). It’s an Australian version of an international checklist called the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories. Basically, the checklist is a list of early words which are typically learned by children from age 1 year until 2.5 years.

Access the OZI-SF checklist here in a health compliant digital format. You will get a report at the end to download and a link to interpret the results.

You can use your smartphone or tablet/computer. The OZI-SF asks you as a parent, as the expert on your child, whether your child says or understands each item, in any language (English and/or any home language like Arabic, Vietnamese, etc.) There are 100 items (words) plus some background questions. Each child ends up with a score out of 100 for words they say (“expressive vocabulary”) and words they understand (“receptive vocabulary”).

We know from our research what scores a child typically has at each age. The OZI-SF can be used as a quick (10 minute) screening tool e.g. by parents, speech pathologists, GPs or early childhood professionals. As about one in five children are late to talk, worldwide, it’s important to keep an eye on your child’s development; you can do the OZI-SF as many times as you like e.g. every 6 weeks.

Use our OZI-SF Results Interpreter to find out what your child’s score means. If your child’s score is very low for their age, the tool will suggest that you talk to a professional to get a fuller assessment and help. The last page also points you towards resources to help your child learn to talk.