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Cognitive
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Signs & concerns
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Signs & concerns
What to do if a child is not yet showing inhibition
Inhibition — pausing, waiting and stopping an impulse — develops slowly across early childhood and is not present from birth. Toddlers who grab, interrupt or struggle to wait are usually showing a normal, growing brain. Build the skill through turn-taking and stop-go games, and seek a gentle developmental check if a school-aged child still cannot stop, wait or follow simple rules far more than peers, or if it affects learning, friendships or safety. This is a reason to assess early, not a diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to do if a child isn't yet showing inquiry skills
Inquiry skills — exploring, questioning, experimenting — grow at different paces in different children. If a child isn't yet poking, asking or testing things out, make space for hands-on play, follow their lead and narrate the world aloud. This isn't a diagnosis; it's a cue to enrich everyday curiosity and, if other learning or communication areas also seem behind, arrange a developmental check.
Read the answer AnswerIf a child isn't yet showing instruction recall
Instruction recall — hearing a request, holding it in mind and acting on it — develops gradually from one-step to two-step instructions across the toddler years. If a child isn't yet following simple requests, simplify your language, say their name first, give one instruction at a time, pair words with gestures and allow processing time. Always check hearing. Seek a gentle developmental check if recall stays well behind peers or travels with other communication differences — this is early support, not a diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerHelping a child build interruption control
Interruption control — waiting, holding a thought and letting others finish — is one of the last self-regulation skills to mature and develops gradually through childhood. The warmest response is calm modelling, turn-taking games and patient practice, not correction. Seek a developmental check only if difficulty waiting is persistent across settings, much greater than peers, and getting in the way of friendships, learning or routines.
Read the answer AnswerIf a child isn't yet showing long-term memory
Long-term memory builds gradually through early childhood, strengthened by repetition, warmth and play. A child not yet showing it often simply needs more rich, repeated experiences, but a calm developmental check is wise — especially if slower memory comes alongside delays in language, attention or connection. This is observation, not diagnosis; early support works beautifully.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to do if a child isn't yet showing memory and recall
If a child in your care isn't yet showing expected memory and recall, keep observing calmly, build memory into everyday play and routines, and arrange a developmental check if recall seems consistently behind for their age or travels with other delays in talking, attention or play. This is a reason to look early — not a diagnosis — because gentle support works best while memory skills are still forming.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to do if a child isn't yet showing memory retention
Memory retention develops gradually and looks different at every age, so a child not yet recalling routines, names or instructions usually warrants calm observation rather than worry. Seek a developmental check if memory differences persist over weeks, if a skill once present seems to fade, or if they travel with delays in talking, play or attention. This is a reason to look closely — not a diagnosis — and early support, built on repetition and routine, works beautifully.
Read the answer AnswerIf a child isn't yet showing mental effort: a caregiver's guide
Mental effort — how a child applies and sustains attention — grows gradually over the early years, and short attention is normal in very young children. Seek a calm developmental check if a child rarely engages, flits from everything quickly, gives up instantly, or shows delays in talking, play or connecting with others. This is not a diagnosis; it simply means an early, gentle clinician's look is wise, because attention skills respond beautifully to playful, responsive support.
Read the answer AnswerIf a child isn't yet following multi-step tasks
Following multi-step tasks grows gradually as attention, memory and language mature together. If a child isn't yet managing two- or three-step instructions, it usually means these building blocks are still forming, not that something is wrong. Practise with one step at a time and seek a developmental check if it travels with other delays — early, playful support works best.
Read the answer AnswerChild Not Yet Matching Objects — A Caregiver's Guide
Object matching — pairing like with like — usually develops across the toddler years through everyday play. If it hasn't appeared yet, this is rarely a worry; keep offering gentle practice with real objects, and mention it at a developmental check if other learning or play skills also seem slow. This is not a diagnosis — early, playful support works well.
Read the answer AnswerObject Permanence: What Caregivers Should Do
Object permanence — knowing a hidden object or person still exists — usually emerges between about 4 and 8 months and is clearly visible by 8–12 months. A baby not yet searching for hidden toys or enjoying peek-a-boo is very often simply on their own timeline. Keep playing hide-and-find games, keep watching, and arrange a calm developmental check if the skill is well behind alongside other delays — early support works best.
Read the answer AnswerIf a child isn't yet showing object recognition
Object recognition — knowing familiar faces, toys and everyday things — develops across the first two years on each child's own timeline. If a child in your care isn't yet showing it, keep naming and playing with everyday objects, note what you observe, and arrange a gentle developmental check. This is not a diagnosis, but a calm clinician's look is wise now because early support works best, and a review also considers vision, hearing, attention and memory together.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to do if a child isn't yet showing organization
Organization — sequencing steps, gathering what's needed and following through — develops gradually through the early years and depends heavily on age, language and practice. Scaffold it with gentle, predictable routines, visual reminders and small steps rather than worry. Seek a developmental check if the difficulty is well behind same-age peers, persists despite support, or travels with delays in language, attention or self-care. This is observation, not diagnosis, and early support works beautifully.
Read the answer AnswerCaregiver guide: supporting a child's organization skills
Organization skills — planning, sorting, gathering, tidying — are higher-order thinking skills that develop slowly across childhood, so a child still learning them is usually developing normally, not delayed. Support with predictable routines, visual schedules and small steps. Seek a calm developmental check only if disorganisation is far beyond same-age peers and disrupts daily life or learning. This is guidance, not a diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to do if a child isn't yet showing pattern recognition
Pattern recognition develops through everyday play — sorting, matching, anticipating routines and copying simple sequences. If a child in your care isn't showing it yet, weave patterns into joyful play and observe over a few weeks rather than drilling. Seek a developmental check if it isn't emerging alongside other thinking, language or play skills. This is a reason to look early, not a diagnosis — early support works best.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to Do If a Child Isn't Yet Showing Problem Solving
Problem solving — working out how to reach a toy, fit a shape, or seek help — grows step by step through everyday play and at different paces for each child. If a child in your care isn't yet solving little challenges as expected, offer playful support at home and arrange a gentle developmental check. This isn't a diagnosis; it's an early, loving look, because support works best when started early.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to do if a child isn't showing quantitative reasoning
Quantitative reasoning — counting, comparing, sequencing — develops gradually through everyday play, and children reach each step at their own pace. If a child isn't yet showing it, weave number talk into daily routines, watch how they engage over a few weeks, and arrange a developmental check if the gap is persistent or travels with delays in language, attention or play. This is a reason to support early, never a diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerIf a child isn't yet comparing quantities
Quantity comparison — knowing which group has 'more' or 'less' — develops gradually through preschool play. If a child isn't showing it yet, weave more comparing into snacks and toys and watch over a few weeks. Seek a developmental check if the skill lags well behind peers, isn't building with practice, or travels with delays in language or understanding. This is a cue to support and observe, not a diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to do if a child isn't yet showing sequential memory
Sequential memory — holding things in the right order — develops gradually through play, song and routine. If a child isn't yet showing it, the best steps are calm daily practice and a developmental check if the difficulty is persistent or comes with other delays in talking, attention or learning. This is not a diagnosis; it simply means early, gentle support may help — and it works beautifully at this stage.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to do if a child isn't showing shape recognition
Shape recognition usually develops between 18 months and 3–4 years through playful experience like sorting, stacking and naming shapes in everyday life. If a child isn't recognising shapes yet, start with relaxed, repeated play and watch how they do with language, matching and attention. Seek a developmental check if the gap is wide by around 3½–4, if practice brings little change, or if it travels with other delays — this is a reason to assess early, not a diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to do if a child isn't yet showing short-term memory
Short-term memory develops gradually through play, routine and repetition — it is not present all at once. If a child you care for isn't yet showing it, support memory through hiding games, songs and simple step-by-step requests, and arrange a calm developmental check if it lags well behind other skills or comes with other delays. This is reason to observe early, not a diagnosis — early support works best.
Read the answer AnswerIf a child isn't yet showing simple planning
Simple planning — thinking a few steps ahead — develops gradually through play and varies widely between children. If a child isn't yet showing it, build planning into everyday play with two-step tasks, watch how it grows over the coming weeks, and arrange a developmental check if it lags well behind peers or travels with other delays. This is a reason to support and observe early, not a diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to do if a child isn't showing social awareness
If a child in your care isn't yet showing social awareness — shared smiles, eye contact, responding to their name, following your gaze or pointing — the best steps are to add more warm, face-to-face connection to everyday play and to arrange a calm developmental check rather than waiting. Social awareness grows on a wide timeline, and early, playful support works beautifully. This is a reason to observe and assess early, never a diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerChild Not Yet Sorting & Categorising — A Caregiver's Guide
Sorting and categorising usually emerges gradually between about 18 months and 3 years and varies widely between children. Keep offering playful chances to match, group and name everyday objects. Seek a gentle developmental check if the skill seems far behind same-age peers or arrives with delays in talking, understanding or play — this is a reason to assess early, not a diagnosis, because early playful support works best.
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