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Early Signs
Explore explanations, everyday questions and next steps connected with early signs.
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Signs & concerns
What a frontline worker should observe about social adaptation on a home visit
During a home visit, a frontline worker should observe how a child responds to people, joins family routines, copies others, plays with siblings, and manages everyday changes. Social adaptation (ICF d7) grows through play and family life, so these are patterns to note over time, not a diagnosis. Weigh observations against the child's age, home language and comfort with a stranger, and route any persisting concern to a developmental check.
Read the answer AnswerDuring a home visit, what should a frontline worker observe about a child learning social awareness?
During a home visit, a frontline worker should observe how a child notices and responds to people — eye contact, smiling back, turning to their name, sharing attention by pointing or showing, following others' gaze, and reacting to feelings. These are everyday signs of social awareness to observe and note across visits, not to diagnose. If a child consistently shows little interest in people, gently reassure the family and encourage a developmental check, since early strengths-first support never has to wait for a label.
Read the answer AnswerDuring a home visit, what should a frontline worker observe about social communication?
On a home visit, a frontline worker should observe how a child connects and shares with people — eye contact, social smiling, responding to their name, pointing and showing, turn-taking in babble or play, gestures and growing words. These are everyday signs of social communication (ICF d3). The worker observes and notes patterns — never labels — and refers early for a developmental check, with a hearing check first, if signs like no response to name, faces or pointing persist across months.
Read the answer AnswerWhat a frontline worker should observe about social-emotional development on a home visit
During a home visit, a frontline worker should observe how a child connects emotionally — social smiling, eye contact, responding to their name, seeking comfort, and pointing or showing to share interest with a familiar caregiver. These are signs to note and monitor, not to diagnose. A pattern of several missing or fading social-emotional signals for the child's age warrants a friendly developmental check rather than alarm.
Read the answer AnswerObserving social-emotional understanding on a home visit
During a home visit, a frontline worker should observe how a child shares and reads emotions: eye contact, social smiling, turning to familiar voices, showing or pointing to share interest, seeking comfort when upset, and noticing others' feelings as they grow. These are everyday things to observe and note over several visits, judged by the child's age — never to diagnose at home. When several signs seem limited for age, or a skill has faded, gently route the family to a general developmental check.
Read the answer AnswerDuring a home visit, what to observe about a child's social engagement
During a home visit, a frontline worker should observe how a child connects socially (ICF d7): eye contact, shared smiles, turn-taking, response to their name, pointing or showing to share attention, and interest in people. These are everyday signs to observe and note, not to diagnose at home. A consistent pattern of limited connection across several areas — judged against the child's age — is a reason to route the family for a structured developmental screen, framed warmly and strengths-first.
Read the answer AnswerObserving social function during a home visit
During a home visit, a frontline worker should observe how a child connects socially in their natural setting: eye contact, returning a smile, responding to their name, sharing interest by pointing or showing, taking turns in simple play, and seeking a familiar adult for comfort. These are everyday signs of social function (ICF d7) to observe and note against the child's age — not to diagnose at home. A persistent pattern of limited social response should be recorded and routed for a general developmental check, with hearing and vision considered.
Read the answer AnswerSocial Greeting: What to Observe on a Home Visit
On a home visit, a frontline worker should watch how a child responds to being greeted — turning towards a voice or face, sharing eye contact and a social smile, responding to their name, waving, imitating greeting actions like namaste, and using greeting words as language grows. Take-turns matter: greet, pause, and wait for a response. These are signs to observe and note, not to diagnose at home. Refer to a general developmental check if greetings, eye contact and name-response are repeatedly absent across several months or if parents share worries.
Read the answer AnswerSocial imagination: what to observe on a home visit
On a home visit, observe how a child uses pretend and imagination in everyday play — using objects symbolically, role-playing, and inviting others into make-believe. Social imagination (ICF d7) typically grows between 18 months and 4 years. Note what the child can do, watch for play that stays only repetitive or solitary, and share concerns with the family and clinician — this is observation, not diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerObserving Social Initiation on a Home Visit
On a home visit, observe how readily the child starts social moments on their own — eye contact, sharing a smile, pointing or showing things, coming over to play, and calling out — not only how they respond when others lead. Note whether reaching out happens just to share enjoyment, not only to meet needs. These are observations to monitor, not diagnose; a persistent or wide gap across visits should prompt a gentle developmental check.
Read the answer AnswerObserving Social Initiative During a Home Visit
During a home visit, a frontline worker should observe how a child starts social moments themselves — seeking out a familiar adult, pointing or showing to share interest, offering toys, making eye contact, calling for attention, and joining back-and-forth play. These are everyday signs of growing social initiative (ICF d7). The worker observes patterns to share with the family, not to diagnose. If a child consistently makes very few attempts to start social contact, encourage a gentle general developmental check.
Read the answer AnswerDuring a home visit, what should a frontline worker observe about a child learning social interaction?
On a home visit, a frontline worker should observe how a child connects with people: eye contact, social smiling, responding to their name, sharing attention (following a point, pointing to show), turn-taking in play, and showing feelings to a familiar adult. These are observations to note and monitor, not to diagnose at home. If several signs are limited for the child's age, or a parent is worried, reassure in strengths-first language and route the family to a developmental check at the PHC or a developmental centre.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to Observe About a Child's Social Interest at Home
On a home visit, a frontline worker should observe how a child notices and responds to people: looking at faces, smiling back, turning to a familiar voice or name, sharing attention by following or making a point, taking simple turns in play, and seeking caregivers for comfort or play. This is observation, not diagnosis — a single quiet day means little. A pattern of limited social interest across several visits, or social responses that have faded, is worth noting kindly and routing to a general developmental check.
Read the answer AnswerDuring a home visit, what should a frontline worker observe about a child learning social language?
On a home visit, a frontline worker should observe how a child connects — eye contact, responding to their name, shared smiles, turn-taking in babble, pointing to show interest, waving and enjoying social games. This is gentle observation and reassurance, not diagnosis. If a child shows little connecting behaviour for their age, or a caregiver is worried, the family is warmly routed to a developmental screen for a closer look.
Read the answer AnswerDuring a home visit, what should a frontline worker observe about social play?
On a home visit, observe how a child plays with others, not just near them: eye contact, shared attention, smiling back, responding to their name, simple turn-taking, imitation, and beginnings of pretend play. Increasingly back-and-forth, social play is a healthy sign; play that stays solitary, fleeting or hard to join across several visits is worth noting and routing to a developmental check. Frontline workers observe and record patterns — never diagnose at home.
Read the answer AnswerObserving Social Pragmatics on a Home Visit
During a home visit, a frontline worker should observe how a child uses communication to connect — eye contact, pointing to share, following another's gaze, back-and-forth turn-taking, and using gestures and sounds for many reasons (requesting, greeting, sharing). Watch how the child communicates with familiar people in natural play, judged against age, family and language. These are observations to note and route for a developmental check — never a doorstep diagnosis. Early support never waits for a label.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to Observe About Social Reciprocity on a Home Visit
On a home visit, a frontline worker should observe the child's two-way connection: shared looking and joint attention, returning a smile or copying an action, responding to their name, pointing or showing objects, and taking turns in babble or simple games. Social reciprocity is the back-and-forth flow between child and caregiver. These are observations to note and route, not to diagnose — concerns seen consistently across visits should be sent for a developmental check.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to observe about social referencing on a home visit
Social referencing is when a child looks to a trusted adult's face, voice or gesture to judge how to feel or act in an uncertain moment, typically emerging between 8 and 14 months. On a home visit, a frontline worker should observe whether the child checks in with the caregiver, follows a point or gaze, and adjusts behaviour to the adult's reaction — and whether the caregiver offers warm, readable cues. These are observations to note and route, never to diagnose at home.
Read the answer AnswerSocial Relationship and Reciprocity on a Home Visit
On a home visit, a frontline worker should observe a child's social give-and-take: eye contact, shared smiles, responding to their name, back-and-forth babble or gestures, pointing to share, joining simple turn-taking play, and seeking comfort from carers. These are observations to note and discuss with the family, never a home diagnosis. When several signs of limited social reciprocity appear together for the child's age, route the family for a general developmental check (and a hearing check).
Read the answer AnswerObserving social responsiveness on a home visit
On a home visit, a frontline worker should observe how a child connects socially — eye contact, social smiling, turning to a familiar voice, responding to their name, taking turns in coos and games, and sharing attention between a toy and a parent. These are signs to observe and note over several visits, not to diagnose. Where social responses seem consistently limited for the child's age, gently flag this to the family and PHC team and route for a developmental screen.
Read the answer AnswerObserving Social Sharing During a Home Visit
During a home visit, a frontline worker should observe how a child gives and takes turns, offers or shows toys, looks to caregivers to share a moment, and responds to others' feelings. Sharing develops gradually, so reluctance is normal in young children. The role is to observe patterns over time and gently flag persistent differences to the family and referral team — never to diagnose.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to observe about a child's social skills on a home visit
On a home visit, a frontline worker should observe how a child connects with people: making eye contact, sharing smiles, responding to their name, pointing to share interest, copying others, and joining simple turn-taking play. These are everyday social signs to watch and note — not diagnose. If a child consistently shows little interest in people, avoids eye contact, or doesn't share attention by the expected age, gently flag it and route the family to a developmental check. Early support never waits for a label.
Read the answer AnswerObserving social understanding during a home visit
During a home visit, a frontline worker should observe how a child connects with people: eye contact, sharing smiles, responding to their name, following a point, taking simple turns in play, imitating actions, and reading a parent's mood. These are signs to observe and note — never to diagnose at home. A persistent gap across several areas, judged for the child's age, is a reason to gently suggest a developmental screen and a hearing check, with early support starting without waiting for a label.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to observe about socialization on a home visit
On a home visit, a frontline worker should observe how a child connects socially — eye contact, responsive smiling, responding to their name, sharing interest, turn-taking in play, seeking comfort, and joining family routines. Note how the child relates to familiar and new faces. These are observations to record and monitor, not to diagnose at home. Refer to the PHC medical officer or a developmental check when social response is consistently limited across months, more than one area is affected, or a parent raises a worry — after weighing hearing and vision.
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