A model of early phonotactic and prosodic development in Swedish children is described. Although the model is based on data about the phonology of language disordered children, it is valid for normal development and useful for diagnosis of phonological impairment. Data included a cross-sectional study of 31 language disordered children aged 4 to 8 years old, a longitudinal study of 10 of these children over a 2 to 4 year period, and a longitudinal study of 1 normal child. The model divides early phonological development into four stages characterized by criteria related to intonation patterns, canonical word forms, syllabic shapes, stress patterns, accent patterns, vowel length distinction, and diphthongization. The four stages cover the ages 10 months to 6 years. These ages refer to the normal child, while the severely language disordered child may take 2 or 3 years for each stage. The model shows that children gradually loosen their constraints on word and syllable forms in a predictable manner. Implicational relationships between aspects of phonotactic and prosodic development are also suggested by the model. A chart of the model and references are appended. (RW)