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Signs & concerns
What signs suggest my child may need support with empathy?
Between about 3 and 7 years, empathy grows step by step — noticing feelings, naming them, comforting others, sharing and taking turns. Signs a child may need support include rarely noticing when someone is upset, difficulty reading faces or tone, struggling to share, or seeming puzzled by others' feelings. These are things to observe and nurture through play and modelling, not to diagnose at home; many children simply need more time. A pattern that persists for months, across home and preschool, or alongside language or play delays is worth a gentle developmental check.
Read the answer AnswerWhat signs suggest my child may need support with empathy development?
Between 3 and 7 years, plenty of self-focus is normal. Signs a child may benefit from empathy support include rarely noticing when others are upset, ongoing difficulty sharing or taking turns, trouble naming feelings, or seeming puzzled by others' reactions. These are cues to observe and support — not to diagnose at home. Empathy grows well with warm everyday coaching, and a developmental screen is a kind first step if patterns persist across months and settings.
Read the answer AnswerWhat signs suggest my child may need support with energy regulation?
In children aged 3–7, signs that energy regulation may need support include constant restlessness, difficulty staying seated, racing between activities without finishing, trouble winding down even when tired, and big swings between high energy and flatness. These are signs to observe and monitor, not to diagnose at home. Energy regulation develops gradually, so what matters is a pattern that is persistent across months, shows up in more than one setting, and interferes with daily life — best understood through a gentle developmental screen.
Read the answer AnswerWhat signs suggest my child may need support with event description?
Between about 3 and 7 years, children learn to describe events — what happened, who, and in what order. Signs your child may need support include very short or hard-to-follow stories, jumbled order, trouble answering "what happened?", and heavy reliance on gestures or single words. These are patterns to observe and discuss, not to diagnose at home; early play-based support helps before any label, and a developmental screen is a kind next step if concerns persist.
Read the answer AnswerWhat signs suggest my child may need support with executive functioning?
In children aged 3–7, signs that executive functioning may need support include difficulty following two-step instructions, trouble starting or finishing tasks, frequent forgetting, struggling to wait or take turns, getting overwhelmed by change, and losing belongings. These skills develop slowly, so the key is a pattern stronger than peers that persists across home and school and affects daily life — signs to observe and support, not diagnose at home.
Read the answer AnswerWhat signs suggest my child may need support with externalizing behaviors?
In children aged about 3 to 7, signs that externalizing behaviours may need support include very frequent or intense tantrums, regular aggression, difficulty following everyday rules, defiance that disrupts home or preschool, and trouble settling once upset. Occasional outbursts are normal — what matters is how often, how intensely, and whether daily life, friendships or learning are affected. These are signs to observe and discuss with a clinician, never to diagnose at home, and early warm support works well at this age.
Read the answer AnswerWhat signs suggest my child may need support with face recognition?
Between 3 and 7 years, most children recognise familiar people by their faces. Signs to watch include relying on voice, hair or clothing instead of the face, greeting familiar people flatly, struggling to find a known person until they speak, and limited eye contact around faces. These are signs to observe and gently explore, not to diagnose at home — and a simple vision check comes first. If the pattern persists across weeks and settings, a warm developmental screen is the right next step.
Read the answer AnswerWhat signs suggest my child may need support with family values?
Family values — sharing, kindness, honesty, respect and belonging — are skills that grow with practice, not a medical condition. Between 3 and 7, children naturally test limits. Signs a child may need more support include ongoing difficulty sharing or following routines, limited empathy, or trouble understanding right from wrong for their age. These are nudges to teach and model more warmly, not signs of anything wrong, and a friendly developmental check can help understand the whole child.
Read the answer AnswerWhat signs suggest my child may need support with feeding independence?
Between about 3 and 7 years, signs a child may need support with feeding independence include strong refusal of whole textures or food groups, persistent difficulty using utensils or an open cup, frequent gagging, coughing or choking, very messy or tiring mealtimes past expected ages, and mealtimes that feel stressful. Any coughing, choking or growth concern should be checked promptly. These are signs to observe and explore through a developmental screen, not to diagnose at home.
Read the answer AnswerWhat signs suggest my child may need support with following directions?
Between 3 and 7 years, signs that a child may need support with following directions include needing instructions repeated often, losing track of two- or three-step tasks, appearing to 'tune out', and struggling with position or sequence words. These are patterns to observe and note, not diagnose at home — especially when frequent and across home, play and preschool. A hearing check comes first, and a warm developmental screen helps pinpoint whether language, attention, hearing or processing needs gentle support.
Read the answer AnswerWhat signs suggest my child may need support with friendship seeking?
Between about 3 and 7 years, signs a child may need support with friendship seeking include rarely approaching other children, hovering at the edge of play, struggling to start or sustain simple games, missing peers' social cues, or distress about being alone. Many children are simply slow-to-warm, so these are patterns to observe over time, not diagnose at home. If the difficulty is steady across many months and several settings, a friendly developmental screen is the kind next step.
Read the answer AnswerWhat signs suggest my child may need support with friendship skills?
Between 3 and 7 years, signs a child may need support with friendship skills include difficulty joining or staying in play, trouble taking turns or sharing, frequent conflict or playing mostly alone, missing social cues, and struggling to keep conversations going. These are everyday patterns to observe gently, not diagnose at home — and they respond well to warm, playful support. If they persist across home, school and playground, a developmental screen helps you understand what your child needs.
Read the answer AnswerWhat signs suggest my child may need support with frustration tolerance?
Signs a child (3–7 years) may need support with frustration tolerance include intense meltdowns over small setbacks, quickly giving up on hard tasks, difficulty waiting or taking turns, hitting or throwing when upset, and slow recovery afterwards. Frustration tolerance is a learnable skill that grows with age and gentle coaching, so these are signs to observe and support — not to diagnose at home. A developmental screen helps if meltdowns are frequent, span several settings, or aren't easing as your child grows.
Read the answer AnswerWhat signs suggest my child may need support with game rule understanding?
Between ages 3–7, signs a child may need support with game rule understanding include difficulty waiting for a turn, not grasping simple rules after several plays, trouble following a sequence, big upset when play doesn't go their way, or always changing rules. Most children learn these skills gradually through play, so these are signs to observe and gently support — not to diagnose at home. A pattern that persists over months or across settings is worth a friendly developmental check.
Read the answer AnswerWhat signs suggest my child may need support with general knowledge?
For a child aged 3–7, signs they may need support with general knowledge can include trouble naming familiar objects, animals or colours, difficulty answering simple 'what' and 'why' questions, limited curiosity, and learning new facts much more slowly than peers. These are signs to observe and gently support — not to diagnose at home. A developmental screen looks at knowledge alongside language, attention and play, and early playful support helps knowledge grow naturally.
Read the answer AnswerWhat signs suggest my child may need support with general sensory regulation?
Signs a child (around 3–7 years) may need support with general sensory regulation include strong reactions to sounds, textures, lights or mess; or seeking lots of movement, crashing and deep pressure. You may also see meltdowns in busy places, trouble winding down, and fussiness with clothing, food textures or grooming. These are patterns to observe and understand, not diagnose at home — and gentle support often makes daily life smoother.
Read the answer AnswerWhat signs suggest my child may need support with grammar use?
By 3–7 years, most children steadily learn word order, tenses, plurals and small joining words. Signs that grammar use may need support include very short sentences for their age, frequent word-order mix-ups, dropped word endings, and lasting confusion with past or future tense. These are signs to observe and screen — not diagnose at home — and gentle, play-based support works best when started early.
Read the answer AnswerWhat signs suggest my child may need support with group participation?
Signs a 3–7 year old may need support with group participation include staying on the edge of play, difficulty taking turns or sharing, missing the unspoken rules of games, struggling to follow group instructions, or strong distress when joining others. Many children warm up slowly, so these are patterns to observe across weeks and settings — not diagnose at home. When a pattern is steady across home, playground and preschool, a gentle developmental check is worthwhile.
Read the answer AnswerWhat signs suggest my child may need support with group play?
Signs a child aged 3–7 may need support with group play include staying on the edge rather than playing with peers, difficulty taking turns, sharing or following group rules, trouble joining pretend or cooperative games, and becoming easily overwhelmed or withdrawn around other children. Because group play grows steadily across these years, the key is whether patterns persist across settings and months — these are signs to observe and gently support, not to diagnose at home. A friendly developmental screen helps if concerns are steady.
Read the answer AnswerWhat signs suggest my child may need support with gymnastic skill?
For a child aged 3–7, signs that gymnastic-type skills may need support include frequent falling, difficulty balancing on one leg, avoiding climbing or jumping, stiff or floppy movement, and tiring or frustrating quickly in active play. Many children simply need more practice, so these are signs to observe and encourage, not diagnose at home. A gap that persists across several months or knocks a child's confidence is worth a friendly developmental check.
Read the answer AnswerWhat signs suggest my child may need support with hopping balance?
Between roughly 3 and 7 years, children gradually learn to hop on one foot. Signs your child may need support include not attempting a single-foot hop by 4–5 years, frequent falling or needing to hold on, hopping only on one side, or lagging clearly behind same-age friends — especially if jumping, climbing and balance all lag together. These are signs to observe and gently encourage, not diagnose at home, and easy to understand with a quick motor screen.
Read the answer AnswerWhat signs suggest my child may need support with hopping skills?
Most children start hopping on one foot around 3 to 4 years and grow steadier by 5. Signs a child may need support include avoiding hopping, managing only one or two hops, poor single-leg balance, and trouble with related skills like jumping, stair-climbing or running. These are signs to observe gently, not to diagnose at home — a quick developmental screen can show whether play-based occupational therapy would help.
Read the answer AnswerWhat signs suggest my child may need support with imagination?
For a toddler (12–36 months), signs that imagination may need support include very little pretend play, using toys only literally, rarely copying everyday actions like feeding a doll, and limited interest in stories or make-believe. Pretend play grows at different rates, so these are signs to watch and nurture, not to diagnose at home. If imagination, language and social play all seem slow together, a friendly developmental screen helps you understand the whole picture early.
Read the answer AnswerSigns your child may need support with imagination and pretend play
Between roughly 3 and 7 years, pretend and imaginative play normally grows in story and variety. Signs your child may benefit from support include very little spontaneous make-believe, play that stays rigid or repetitive, difficulty taking on roles or symbolic substitution (a block as a car), and trouble joining others' imaginary games. These are signs to observe and gently encourage — not to diagnose at home — and are best understood through a friendly developmental screen, especially if paired with speech or social concerns.
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