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ASK PINNACLE · QUESTIONS, EXPLANATIONS & NEXT STEPS

Support

Explore explanations, everyday questions and next steps connected with support.

11,330 published answers · English · Page 99

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Therapy & support

Answer

How can I support sensory development in my 2-year-old?

You support a 2-year-old's sensory development through rich, playful everyday experiences across touch, movement, balance, body awareness, sound, sight, taste and smell — messy play, climbing, music and varied food textures. Follow your child's lead and keep it pressure-free. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.

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How can I support sensory development in my 3-to-6-month-old?

Support a 3-to-6-month-old's sensory development through warm, everyday play: face-to-face talking and singing, safe textures to touch, supervised tummy time, tracking colourful objects, and offering rattles to reach and grasp. Follow your baby's lead and give calm breaks. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.

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How can I support sensory development in my 3-year-old?

Support a 3-year-old's sensory development through everyday play that feeds touch, movement, balance, sound, sight, taste and smell — messy play, climbing, music, water, sand and cooking together — within a calm, predictable routine. Sensory preferences vary widely and most variation is typical. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.

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How can I support sensory development in my 4-year-old?

Support a 4-year-old's sensory development through rich, varied, playful everyday experiences — messy and texture play, big movement, music, varied tastes and a calm-down space — following your child's lead without pressure. Most children simply need plenty of safe sensory variety. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.

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How can I support sensory development in my 5-year-old?

Support a five-year-old's sensory development through rich, playful everyday experiences — movement, climbing, messy play, music and outdoor exploration — that help the brain learn to take in and use information from all the senses calmly and confidently. Follow your child's lead, keep it low-pressure, and seek a friendly developmental check if your child is very distressed by sounds, textures or movement. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.

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Supporting Sensory Development in Your 6-to-9-Month-Old

Support a 6-to-9-month-old's sensory development through safe everyday experiences — varied textures to touch, sounds to turn towards, supervised tastes, and plenty of supported movement and floor play, all led by your baby's cues. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.

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Answer

How can I support sensory development in my 6-year-old?

Support a 6-year-old's sensory development through rich, everyday play — big-body movement like swinging and climbing, heavy work, texture play, music and calm-down spaces — offered with variety and no pressure. Most variation is normal; a developmental check helps if sensory reactions consistently distress your child or affect daily life. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.

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Supporting sensory development at 9–12 months

Support sensory development in a 9-to-12-month-old through everyday play that engages touch, movement, hearing, sight and taste — messy textures, floor time and cruising, naming sounds, peek-a-boo and varied safe foods. Follow your baby's lead and keep it joyful. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.

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How can I support sensory development in my newborn?

Newborn sensory development is supported through everyday loving contact — skin-to-skin touch and gentle massage, soft talking and singing, close eye contact at about 20–30 cm, slow rocking, and a calm rhythm of feeds and rest. Newborns need warm, responsive interaction, not toys or screens. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.

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How to Support Sensory Integration Therapy Goals at Home

Sensory integration therapy goals are supported at home through simple, playful daily routines — a therapist-guided 'sensory diet' of movement, deep-pressure 'heavy work', touch play and calm-down spaces, always following your child's cues. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.

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Answer

How to Support Social Development in a 12-to-18-Month-Old

Social development in a 12-to-18-month-old is nurtured through warm, responsive everyday play — following your child's lead, taking turns in games like peekaboo, sharing joint attention by pointing and naming, and reacting with delight to their gestures and sounds. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.

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How can I support social development in my 18-to-24-month-old?

Support an 18-to-24-month-old's social development through warm, face-to-face play: follow their lead, play back-and-forth turn-taking games, name feelings, encourage pretend play, and offer gentle time near other children. Parallel play is typical at this age. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.

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Answer

How can I support social development in my 2-year-old?

A 2-year-old's social development is supported through everyday warm, back-and-forth play, turn-taking games, naming feelings and gentle exposure to other children — with parallel play being entirely normal at this age. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.

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How can I support social development in my 3-to-6-month-old?

Social development in a 3-to-6-month-old grows through warm, responsive everyday moments — smiling back, copying sounds, face-to-face play and "serve and return" turn-taking. Your loving attention is the most powerful support. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.

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Answer

How can I support social development in my 3-year-old?

Support a three-year-old's social development through play, warmth and gentle everyday practice — playing together, naming feelings, encouraging short turns and sharing, and giving plenty of chances to be with other children. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.

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Answer

How can I support social development in my 4-year-old?

Support a 4-year-old's social development through everyday play, pretend games, naming feelings, turn-taking practice and plenty of chances to play with other children. Your warm, playful presence is the most powerful tool. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.

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Answer

Supporting Social Development in Your 5-Year-Old

Support a five-year-old's social development through everyday play, naming feelings, turn-taking, playdates and modelling kindness, while coaching problem-solving rather than rescuing. A check helps if a child consistently avoids others or struggles to join play. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.

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How can I support social development in my 6-to-9-month-old?

Support a 6-to-9-month-old's social development through warm, responsive, back-and-forth interaction in everyday moments — face-to-face talking, peek-a-boo, following your baby's lead and answering their cues. Stranger wariness at this age is healthy. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.

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How can I support social development in my 6-year-old?

Support a 6-year-old's social development through everyday play — small structured playdates, turn-taking games, naming feelings, coaching small conflicts and modelling kind social behaviour. Children grow these skills through warm, repeated practice rather than lectures. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.

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How can I support social development in my 9-to-12-month-old?

You support social development in a 9-to-12-month-old through warm, responsive everyday interaction — turn-taking games like peek-a-boo, following your baby's gaze and naming what they see, babbling back, and responding to their cues. These simple, equipment-free moments build the foundations of social connection. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.

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Supporting Social Development in Your Newborn

Supporting a newborn's social development means being warm and responsive — holding them close, making eye contact during feeds, talking and singing softly, and answering their cues. In the first three months it is about connection and trust, not measurable skills. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.

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How can I support social skills training goals at home?

Parents can support social skills training goals at home through turn-taking games, naming feelings, modelling greetings, small structured playdates and praising every attempt to connect — always following the specific goals the therapist has set. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.

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How can I support special education goals at home?

Support special education goals at home by turning each goal into small, playful practice woven into daily routines, using the same cues as the school and therapy team, and sharing what you observe. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.

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How can I support speech and language therapy goals at home?

Support speech and language therapy goals at home by weaving the therapist's specific targets into everyday routines — narrating your day, following your child's lead, pausing to give them time, expanding their words and reading together — kept short, playful and low-pressure. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.

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