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Early Signs
Explore explanations, everyday questions and next steps connected with early signs.
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Signs & concerns
Could Difficulty With Walking Be a Sign of Developmental Delay?
Difficulty with walking can be one sign of a developmental delay, but on its own it rarely tells the whole story. Most toddlers walk between 12 and 18 months, and mild lateness is common and usually harmless. What matters is the pattern: very late walking, persistent tip-toeing, a stiff or floppy gait, loss of a gained skill, or walking concerns alongside delays in talking or play. These are signs to observe and screen — not to diagnose at home — and a friendly developmental check can reassure or route to gentle support early.
Read the answer AnswerWord Knowledge & Developmental Delay: Early Signs
Difficulty with word knowledge — understanding and using words for objects, actions and ideas — can be an early sign of a language or developmental delay, especially when vocabulary lags behind peers and grows slowly. On its own it isn't a diagnosis; many children catch up. The pattern matters most: a gap that persists or widens, or affects both understanding and use. A hearing check comes first, and early playful support helps. This is something to observe and screen, not label at home.
Read the answer AnswerCould working memory difficulty be a sign of developmental delay?
Difficulty with working memory can be one early sign of developmental delay, but in toddlers aged 12–36 months this skill is only just emerging, so forgetting and distraction are normal. What matters is the whole picture across language, play, attention and routines, and a gap that widens over several months. This is a reason to observe and seek a gentle developmental check, never to diagnose at home.
Read the answer AnswerWhat are the early signs of Developmental Coordination Disorder in young children?
DCD shows as movement harder than expected for age — clumsiness, late crawling or walking, trouble with buttons, cutlery and pencils, frequent falls — not from low effort or intelligence. Early signs are worth a check; only a clinician can confirm.
Read the answer AnswerObserving achievement orientation on a home visit
On a home visit, observe whether the child wants to try a small task, stays with it when it gets hard, asks for help, and shows pride on finishing. Achievement orientation is the early seed of motivation. These are observations to note and encourage, not to diagnose. Where a child rarely tries, gives up instantly, or shows no joy in completing things across several visits, suggest a developmental check.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to observe about activity completion on a home visit
On a home visit, a frontline worker should watch how a child starts a familiar task, stays engaged, and finishes it — noticing constant prompting, quick drifting, getting stuck on one step, or stopping midway. These are observations to note and share across several visits, not to diagnose at home. A pattern clearly below same-age peers, or affecting daily routines, is reason for a gentle developmental check at the PHC or a developmental team.
Read the answer AnswerObserving adaptability during a home visit
During a home visit, a frontline worker should observe how a child copes with everyday changes — moving between activities, managing shifts in routine, and adjusting to new tasks or unfamiliar people. Adaptability (ICF d5) develops gradually, so these are patterns to observe and monitor across visits, not diagnose at home. Refer to the PHC medical officer when rigidity is marked, persists across settings, or pairs with other developmental delays.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to observe about a child's adaptive skills on a home visit
On a home visit, a frontline worker should observe how a child manages everyday self-care — feeding, drinking, dressing, hand-washing, toileting awareness, following simple routines and helping with small tasks — judged against age expectations. These adaptive (ICF d5) skills are to be watched and noted over time, not diagnosed at home. Refer for a developmental check if several skills lag well behind same-age children, show little change over months, or a skill is lost; check hearing and vision too.
Read the answer AnswerObserving adaptive skills on a home visit
On a home visit, a frontline worker should observe a child's everyday self-care and daily-living skills (ICF d5) — feeding, dressing, toileting, washing and helping at home — and how much help is needed compared with peers. These adaptive skills grow with practice, so watch for steady progress rather than perfection. The worker observes and notes, never diagnoses; a child needing much more help than peers across several areas, or slipping back over months, should be routed to a developmental check.
Read the answer AnswerObserving Aggression Control During a Home Visit
During a home visit, a frontline worker should observe how a young child manages frustration and impulses, and whether they are gradually learning to pause, settle and accept comfort or simple limits with caregiver support. Some hitting, grabbing or crying is normal as children learn; what matters is the pattern over time. Note frequent intense outbursts that don't ease, aggression that hurts repeatedly, or little response to comfort — and route on. This is observation to discuss, never a home diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to observe about a child's attachment response on a home visit
On a home visit, a frontline worker should observe how a child seeks and responds to closeness with their main carer: settling when comforted, eye contact, turning to a familiar voice, social smiling, and showing a clear preference for known people by 8–10 months. These are strengths to notice and encourage, not signs to diagnose. Persistent very limited social response, or a child who cannot be soothed, should be noted and routed to a developmental check — alongside support for overwhelmed carers.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to observe about a child's attention on a home visit
On a home visit, observe how a child connects, holds and shifts attention in everyday play — turning to a name and voice, sharing a glance, settling on a toy for an age-appropriate spell, following a point, and returning to an activity after a small distraction. These are signs to observe and note across visits, not to diagnose. Where attention is consistently very brief or absent for the child's age, gently refer the family for a general developmental check.
Read the answer AnswerObserving attention and inhibition on a home visit
During a home visit, a frontline worker should observe how a child holds attention on a person, toy or task, shares attention with a caregiver, and how well they pause, wait or stop an impulse when gently asked. Watch these in natural play, not as a test. These are observations to note and monitor — never to diagnose at home. A pattern that is clearly behind same-age children, persists across visits, or appears alongside language or social delays warrants a developmental check.
Read the answer AnswerDuring a home visit, what to observe about a child learning attention to detail
On a home visit, a frontline worker should observe — not diagnose — how a child notices small differences, matches and sorts by colour, shape or size, finds part-hidden objects, spots errors in familiar play, and sticks with sorting or puzzle tasks. Attention to detail (ICF d1) grows through everyday play, so note the child's current skill and any pattern clearly behind same-age peers. Hearing and vision screens often come first. Share observations gently with the family and route any concern to a developmental check rather than labelling at home.
Read the answer AnswerObserving attention to others during a home visit
On a home visit, observe how a child tunes in to people: turning to a familiar voice, holding eye contact, sharing a social smile, taking turns in coos and play, and (in older babies) following another's gaze or pointing and checking back to a caregiver. Attention to others (ICF d7) grows through the first two years, so note patterns across visits rather than judging one day. A persistent lack of social orienting, no social smile by ~3 months, or no joint attention by ~18 months warrants a gentle conversation with the family and a referral for a developmental check — this is observation, never diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to observe about a child's auditory memory on a home visit
On a home visit, a frontline worker should observe whether a child follows simple spoken instructions, turns to their name, repeats short words, and remembers familiar names and songs for their age. These are everyday signs to observe and note, not to diagnose. A persistent pattern of poor listening or recall — or little response to familiar voices — should be routed to the PHC team, with a hearing check first.
Read the answer AnswerAuditory processing on a home visit: what to observe
On a home visit, a frontline worker should observe how a child responds to and understands sound — turning to their name, following simple spoken instructions, reacting to everyday noises, and coping in a noisy room. These are signs to observe and note, never diagnose at home, and a hearing check always comes first to rule out true hearing loss. A consistent pattern across several areas, or understanding clearly behind age, warrants a hearing screen and a general developmental check; formal auditory-processing assessment is meaningful only from around school age.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to observe about a child's autonomy on a home visit
On a home visit, a frontline worker should observe how a child manages age-appropriate self-care — feeding, dressing, washing, toileting — and shows simple choices and initiative. These reflect growing autonomy (ICF d5). Note both what the child attempts and whether the home gives chances to try; a child rarely allowed to try may just need encouragement. Suggest a developmental screen if self-care lags clearly behind peers across several areas over months. This is observe-and-support, never a home diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerDuring a home visit, what should a frontline worker observe about a child learning to balance?
On a home visit, a frontline worker should observe a child's balance against age — steady sitting without propping by about 8–9 months, pulling to stand and standing alone near 12 months, and independent walking by 15–18 months. Watch for frequent unexplained falls, a wide or staggering gait, marked stiffness or floppiness, and reliance on one side. This is to observe and monitor, not diagnose. Flag a clear lag across several visits, balance that is regressing, or tone concerns for a developmental check, with hearing and vision checked first.
Read the answer AnswerBalance & hopping: what to observe on a home visit
During a home visit, observe how steadily a child stands on one foot, whether they can jump and hop without falling, and how they move on uneven ground — gross-motor skills that emerge between 3 and 5 years. Watch for clear gaps from peers, stiff or floppy or one-sided movement, fear of feet-off-ground play, or loss of a skill once had. This is observation and routing, not diagnosis. Children clearly behind peers should be routed gently to a general developmental check.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to Observe About Balance Control on a Home Visit
During a home visit, a frontline worker should observe how steadily a child holds still and moves — sitting without toppling, standing, transitioning between positions, and recovering from wobbles. Watch for age-appropriate progress, one-sided leaning, frequent falls, or stiff/floppy tone. These are signs to observe and note, not diagnose. Clearly delayed, one-sided or worsening balance should be referred for a developmental check.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to observe when a child is learning ball catching
During a home visit, a frontline worker should observe how a child prepares for and attempts to catch a ball — tracking it with the eyes, getting arms and open hands ready in time, adjusting balance, and trying again after a miss. Catching grows gradually from chest-trapping (3–4 years) to neat two-hand catches (5–6 years), so it is judged by age. These are points to observe and monitor, never to diagnose at home; a persistent gap across visits or one-sided weakness warrants a general developmental check.
Read the answer AnswerBead threading: what to observe on a home visit
On a home visit, a frontline worker should observe how a child manages bead threading: the pincer grip, two-hand coordination, eye–hand tracking, hand steadiness, attention and persistence. These are everyday observations to note and share across visits — not to diagnose at home. A pattern of difficulty across several areas or skills clearly behind peers is the cue to route the family for a developmental check.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to observe about behaviour awareness on a home visit
During a home visit, a frontline worker should observe how a child notices and responds to people, names, simple instructions, routines and emotional cues — the building blocks of behaviour awareness (ICF d1). Watch whether the child turns to their name, copies familiar actions, follows simple instructions, shows feelings that fit the moment, and learns from a caregiver's gentle cues. These are things to observe and note, not diagnose. Where a pattern of limited response persists across several visits, refer the family for a general developmental check.
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