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Concern
Explore explanations, everyday questions and next steps connected with concern.
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Signs & concerns
What to do if a child isn't showing tiptoe balance yet
Tiptoe balance usually emerges between about 2 and 3.5 years as ankle strength, core stability and balance mature. If a child isn't showing it yet, keep offering playful chances to practise — reaching up, tiptoe-creeping, gentle heel-raises. Seek a developmental check if it's missing alongside other motor concerns such as not walking by 18 months, frequent falling, persistent toe-walking, or stiff or floppy legs. This is gentle observation, not a diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerIf a child isn't showing tiptoe walking
Tiptoe walking is not a milestone a child must reach — many children never toe-walk at all, and its absence is no cause for concern. What matters is walking on flat, stable feet. Seek a developmental check not for missing toe-walking, but if walking is delayed past around 18 months, or if legs seem stiff, gait is lopsided, or a child persistently walks only on tiptoes past age 2. This is reason to observe, not a diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerCaregiver guide: when a child isn't showing toileting skills yet
Most children are not reliably toilet-trained until around 3, so a child not yet showing skills is usually within the typical range. Watch for readiness signals — staying dry longer, noticing wetness, interest in the toilet, following simple steps — rather than chasing an age. Keep it calm and positive. Seek a developmental check if there's little progress by 3.5–4 years, a child loses skills, stools are painful, or toileting delays come with other developmental differences.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to do if a child isn't yet transitioning smoothly
Difficulty moving between activities is often a developing skill, not a problem. Make transitions predictable with warnings, visual schedules and bridging rituals, and praise effort. Seek a calm developmental check if distress is intense and frequent, rigidity is high, difficulty doesn't ease over months, or it travels with other delays in language, social connection or play. This is reason to observe and support early — not a diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to do if a child isn't yet taking turns
Turn taking develops gradually through back-and-forth play and conversation, and many children need plenty of warm practice before it clicks. As a caregiver, build daily give-and-wait games — rolling a ball, peek-a-boo, songs with pauses — and watch how the child responds. Seek a developmental check if turn taking is well behind peers or comes with delays in talking, eye contact or shared play. This is a reason to look early, not a diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerWhen a child isn't yet showing understanding
If a child in your care isn't yet showing understanding — not responding to their name, following simple requests or grasping daily routines — start with calm observation, not worry. First check hearing, reduce noise, and pair words with gesture and a clear voice. Seek a developmental check if comprehension lags well behind peers or travels with delays in attention, play or communication. This is a reason to look early, never a diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerWhen a child in your care isn't talking yet
If a child in your care isn't yet using words, talk, narrate, sing and respond to every gesture and sound while arranging an early developmental check. Communication grows before speech — pointing, babbling, eye contact and gestures all count. Have hearing checked too. This is a reason to look early, not a diagnosis, because support at this stage works well.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to do if a child isn't showing verbal knowledge
If a child in your care is not yet showing verbal knowledge — understanding words, naming, or using language to learn — arrange a calm developmental check rather than waiting. This is not a diagnosis; it means a clinician's gentle look is wise now, because early language support works best. Meanwhile, everyday talking, naming and reading give a child the richest possible input.
Read the answer AnswerIf a child isn't yet showing verbal reasoning
Verbal reasoning — thinking and solving problems with words — develops gradually through rich everyday conversation, and children reach it at different times. If a child in your care isn't yet reasoning aloud, keep talking richly with them, watch how they understand and use language, and arrange a calm developmental check rather than waiting. This is not a diagnosis — it means a clinician's gentle look is wise now, because early support works best.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to do if a child isn't yet showing verbal understanding
If a child isn't yet showing verbal understanding — turning to their name, following a simple instruction, or recognising familiar words — pair calm everyday talk with a developmental check and a hearing review. Comprehension usually grows before speech, so understanding matters even when words are few. This isn't a diagnosis; it means early, gentle support is wise, because help at this age works well.
Read the answer AnswerVestibular Processing: A Caregiver's Guide
Vestibular processing is how a child's brain reads movement, balance and head position. If a child in your care avoids or craves movement, seems unsteady or fearful, or struggles with balance, observe calmly and bring it to a clinician — this is a reason to check early, not a diagnosis. Vestibular skills grow through playful movement, and gentle occupational-therapy support helps when needed.
Read the answer AnswerIf a child isn't yet showing visual motor integration
Visual motor integration is the teamwork between a child's eyes and hands — guiding a crayon, stacking a block or catching a ball. If a child isn't showing it yet, offer rich hands-on play, watch how they respond, and arrange a developmental check if the skill lags well behind their age or comes with other delays. This is not a diagnosis but a reason to look early, because support at this stage works beautifully.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to do if a child isn't yet showing visual processing
Visual processing — how a child's brain makes sense of what the eyes see — develops over months and years, so a child not yet showing it may simply be at their own pace. Keep offering rich visual play, have eyesight checked, and arrange a developmental check if your child consistently does not look at faces, follow objects or reach for what they see, or if eyes wander or cross. This is a reason to look closely, not to panic — early support works well.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to do if a child isn't yet showing visual reception
If a child in your care isn't yet showing visual reception — following faces, tracking moving toys or reaching for what they see — keep offering gentle, playful visual moments, note what you observe, and arrange both a paediatric eye check and a developmental review. This is not a diagnosis; it means an early, calm look is wise, because support started early works best.
Read the answer AnswerIf a child isn't yet showing visual recognition
Visual recognition — knowing familiar faces, following a toy, lighting up at a caregiver — develops gradually in the early months and years. If a child isn't yet showing it, keep offering close, rich visual play and arrange both an eye check and a developmental review. This is not a diagnosis but a reason to look early, because gentle support works best when started young.
Read the answer AnswerVisual scanning not yet showing — a caregiver's guide
Visual scanning is how a child sweeps their eyes to find, follow and compare things — a foundation for play and learning. If a child isn't yet scanning as expected, arrange a gentle developmental check rather than waiting, and consider an eye-health review to rule out a simple vision cause. This is not a diagnosis; it lets a clinician see how vision and attention work together so early, playful support can begin.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to do if a child isn't yet showing visual spatial processing
Visual spatial processing is how a child understands where objects are, how they fit together and how they move through space — seen in puzzles, block-stacking and navigating a room. These skills emerge at different paces. If a child isn't yet showing them, arrange a calm developmental check rather than worrying, especially if difficulties persist or travel with other delays in fine motor skills, coordination or attention. This is a reason to observe early, not a diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerIf a child isn't yet showing visuospatial skills
Visuospatial skills — judging space, fitting shapes, building, copying patterns and finding the way around — develop at different paces. If a child isn't yet showing them, offer more hands-on play, watch how they manage everyday space and shape tasks, and arrange a calm developmental check if the gap is wide or paired with other delays. This is reason to observe early, not a diagnosis — early support works best.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to do if a child isn't yet showing vocabulary
If a child in your care isn't yet showing vocabulary, keep talking, naming and reading every day, and arrange a gentle developmental check rather than waiting. Watch for few or no clear words by 16–18 months, little pointing or sharing, not responding to their name, limited back-and-forth, or loss of words. These are reasons to assess early — not a diagnosis — because early support works best.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to do if a child isn't yet understanding or using words
Vocabulary grows on a wide individual timeline, so a quiet stretch isn't alarming. Keep talking and playing richly, gently track what the child understands and says, and arrange a developmental check if words or understanding are clearly behind peers or have stalled. This isn't a diagnosis — it means an early clinician's look is wise, because support works best early.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to do if a child isn't showing vocabulary knowledge yet
If a child in your care isn't yet showing expected vocabulary, keep talking, naming and reading with them daily, and arrange a developmental check rather than waiting. Notice whether understanding, gestures and social connection are still growing — that is reassuring — and seek a check if words and these other threads seem behind or if any skill is lost. This is a reason to assess early, not a diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to do if a child isn't showing vocalisation development
If a child in your care isn't yet cooing or babbling, respond warmly to every sound they make, fill their day with talk and song, and check their hearing. Arrange a developmental check if sounds are very few, there's no back-and-forth, they don't respond to sound, or babble has faded. This isn't a diagnosis — it means a clinician's gentle, early look is wise, because vocal play is the foundation of speech and early support works best.
Read the answer AnswerIf a Child in Your Care Isn't Walking Yet
Most children walk between 12 and 18 months, with a wide normal range. As a caregiver, watch the whole motor picture — pulling to stand and cruising by around 12 months, even weight-bearing on both legs, and trunk control. Arrange a gentle developmental check if the child isn't walking by around 18 months, strongly favours one side, or shows stiffness, floppiness or a lost skill. This isn't a diagnosis — early, calm review opens opportunities for support.
Read the answer AnswerIf a child in your care isn't showing walking balance yet
Walking and balance arrive across a wide window — many children walk independently between 12 and 18 months. As a caregiver, give plenty of safe floor, standing and cruising practice, avoid baby walkers, and arrange a calm developmental check if the child isn't walking by around 18 months, has lost a skill, or seems stiff, floppy or strongly one-sided. This is early support, not a diagnosis.
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