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Signs & concerns
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Signs & concerns
What to do if a child isn't yet showing routine participation
If a child isn't yet joining everyday routines, keep them short, predictable and playful, break tasks into tiny steps, and celebrate the smallest sign of joining in. Many children simply need more time and clearer cues. Seek a developmental check if it travels with difficulty following simple steps, little shared attention, big distress at transitions, or delays in talking and play — early support works best.
Read the answer AnswerIf a child in your care isn't running yet
Most children start running between 18 and 24 months, after a few months of steady walking. A child walking well but not yet running near age 2 is usually within the normal range and worth gentle monitoring. Seek a developmental check if a child isn't walking by 18 months, has lost a skill, or shows stiffness, weakness, frequent falling or persistent toe-walking. This is a reason to assess early, not a diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerIf a child isn't yet running: a caregiver's guide
Running usually emerges a little after confident walking, often around 18–24 months, and matures through the second and third years. A child who walks well but isn't yet running often simply needs more time and playful practice. Seek a developmental check if walking itself is delayed by around 18 months, if movement looks stiff, floppy or uneven, if a skill is lost, or if other delays appear alongside. This is reason to observe and support — not a diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to do if a child isn't showing safety awareness
Safety awareness develops gradually and builds on understanding, memory and impulse control, so it appears later than we sometimes expect. If a child is not yet showing it, provide close supervision and teach in small, repeated steps woven into daily play. Seek a developmental check if safety awareness lags well behind peers or comes with delays in language, attention or impulse control — this means early support, not a diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to do if a child isn't yet showing scissor use
Scissor use develops gradually — most children begin snipping with help around 2.5–3 years and cut shapes by 4–5. If a child isn't cutting yet, it is usually about practice, hand strength and opportunity, not a problem. Offer safe, playful chances to build small-hand muscles, and seek a developmental check if cutting difficulty travels with broader delays in hand use, self-help or play.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to do if a child isn't showing self-advocacy skills
Self-advocacy — saying what you want, need, or want to stop — develops gradually, and emerging later is often normal. Caregivers can nurture it by offering real choices, honouring 'no', naming feelings, waiting to listen, and giving non-speaking children pictures or devices. Seek a developmental check if the child has very limited ways to express wants, doesn't seek help when distressed, or lags well behind peers alongside other communication or learning differences. This is reason to assess early, not a diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerCaregiver guide: when a child isn't yet showing self-awareness
Self-awareness — recognising oneself, naming feelings, and saying "me" and "mine" — develops gradually across the toddler years rather than to a fixed schedule. Keep offering warm, mirroring everyday moments and watch how it grows. A developmental check is wise if it travels alongside delays in eye contact, responding to their name, language or shared play — not as alarm, but because gentle early support works beautifully.
Read the answer AnswerWhen a child isn't yet showing self-care skills
Self-care skills like feeding, dressing and toileting grow on a wide, normal range, so being a little behind is common. Useful steps: break tasks into small parts, offer real daily practice, and note what the child can already do. Seek a developmental check if the gap is wide across several tasks, progress stalls despite practice, other delays appear, or a skill is lost — not to label, but to put early support in place when it works best.
Read the answer AnswerWhen a child isn't yet showing self-care dexterity
If a child isn't yet showing self-care dexterity, keep practising daily tasks in small playful steps while watching how their hand skills grow. Being a little behind a peer is common and rarely a worry alone. Seek a calm developmental check if the gap widens or travels with fine-motor, language or understanding delays — this is early opportunity, not alarm.
Read the answer AnswerWhen a child isn't yet showing self-care skills
Self-care skills like feeding, dressing, washing and toileting develop gradually across a wide normal range. If a child isn't yet showing them, respond with calm, patient daily practice — breaking skills into tiny steps and praising effort. Seek a gentle developmental check if there's no emerging progress, no movement despite weeks of practice, or other delays in talking, movement or connection. This is a reason to assess early, not a diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to do when a child isn't yet showing self-control
Self-control develops gradually through childhood, so a young child who struggles to wait, share or calm down is usually at a normal stage that grows with patient, predictable support. Caregivers can help by naming feelings, keeping routines steady, practising short playful waits and staying calm themselves. Seek a developmental check if the difficulty is far beyond same-age peers, isn't improving over months, or comes with delays in talking, attention or social connection — this guides support, it is not a diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerIf a child isn't yet showing self-management
If a child in your care isn't yet showing self-management — settling themselves, following routines, managing feelings or growing independence — stay calm, build predictable routines and offer gentle, consistent support while you watch development. Self-management grows over years with wide variation. Seek a developmental check if the gap seems large for the child's age or comes with other delays — not as a diagnosis, but because early support works best.
Read the answer AnswerHelping a child who isn't yet showing self-regulation
Self-regulation develops slowly, and young children naturally need a calm adult to help them settle — this co-regulation is how they learn. Stay calm, name feelings, keep routines steady, and seek a gentle developmental check if meltdowns are far longer or more intense than peers', very hard to soothe, or travel with delays in talking or connection. This is a reason to assess early, not a diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to Do if a Child Isn't Yet Showing Sensory Responses
If a child in your care isn't yet responding to sounds, sights, touch or movement as expected, the loving step is a calm developmental check rather than worry. Watch for little response to sound or sight, strong over- or under-reaction to touch, unusual movement-seeking or avoiding, especially alongside other developmental differences. This is not a diagnosis — early observation simply opens early opportunities for support.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to do if a child isn't yet showing sensory avoidance
A child not yet showing sensory avoidance is usually nothing to worry about — both seeking and avoiding sit within a wide, healthy range of sensory development. Instead of waiting for avoidance to appear, watch the whole child: comfortable exploration, settling and recovery, and connection and play. Seek a developmental check if you see distress around sensation that disrupts play, eating or sleep, or a child who seems unusually unaware of sounds or touch. This is observation, not diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerIf a child isn't yet showing sensory integration
Sensory integration is how a child's brain organises touch, movement, sound and sight into comfortable responses, and it develops at different paces. Seek a calm developmental check if a child is strongly distressed by everyday sensations, constantly seeks intense movement, seems under-responsive, or these reactions crowd out play, sleep or learning. This is not a diagnosis — it means early, gentle support is wise, because occupational therapy works beautifully when started young.
Read the answer AnswerSupporting a child's sensory regulation
Sensory regulation — managing responses to sound, touch, movement and busy spaces — develops gradually. If a child seems easily overwhelmed, hard to calm, or strongly seeking or avoiding sensory input, observe gently and seek a developmental check. This is a reason to assess, not a diagnosis, and calm predictable support plus early input helps most children thrive.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to do if a child is not yet showing sensory seeking
Sensory seeking is one healthy way children explore, but it is not a fixed milestone and styles vary widely — many children are calmer, quieter explorers. Arrange a gentle developmental check if a child seems to avoid or not notice sensation, shows little interest in play, or this sits alongside delays in movement, talking or connecting. This is a reason to look early, never a diagnosis, because support works best when offered calmly and early.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to do if a child isn't yet showing sensory sensitivity
Not yet showing strong sensory reactions is usually within the wide range of typical, especially in younger children still building their sensory map. Keep offering varied, gentle sensory play, watch how the child engages, and seek a developmental check if you also notice delays in play, communication, movement or daily routines. This is observation, not a diagnosis — early support works best.
Read the answer AnswerHelping a Child Build Sensory Tolerance
Sensory tolerance is a skill that grows with gentle, repeated, low-pressure experience, and develops at different paces. As a caregiver, reduce overwhelm, keep sensations predictable, offer gradual no-pressure exposure, and use calming heavy-work play. Seek a developmental check if distress to sounds, textures, lights or foods regularly disrupts eating, dressing, bathing, sleeping or play — this is a reason to assess early, not a diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerWhen a child isn't yet using phrases and sentences
If a child isn't yet joining words into phrases or simple sentences, keep talking, reading and playing together daily, and arrange a gentle developmental check rather than waiting. Two-word phrases usually emerge around 18–24 months and short sentences by about 3 years, but every child differs. An early, calm look is an opportunity, not a diagnosis — language support works wonderfully at this age.
Read the answer AnswerIf a child in your care isn't yet forming sentences
Children usually join two words around 18–24 months and form short sentences by 30–36 months. If a child over two is using single words but not yet combining them, support daily with language-rich play and expanding their words, and arrange a developmental check — especially if you also notice few words, little interaction or no pointing. This is not a diagnosis; early support at this age works beautifully.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to Do If a Child Isn't Showing Sentence Repetition Yet
If a child isn't yet repeating short sentences, that alone is rarely alarming — the skill grows gradually with memory, listening and spoken language. Keep playing and talking, and arrange a calm developmental check if it appears alongside few words, trouble following instructions, or hearing concerns. This is reason to assess early, not a diagnosis, because support at this stage works best.
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.
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