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Signs & concerns
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Signs & concerns
Early Signs of Hearing Impairment on Home Visits
On a home visit, refer any baby who doesn't startle to loud sound, doesn't turn to a voice, has absent or fading babble, or doesn't respond to their name. Family concern about hearing is itself a strong signal. Don't wait — hearing loss found early is far easier to support, and only a clinician confirms it.
Read the answer AnswerEarly Signs of Hypotonia (Low Muscle Tone) on a Home Visit
On a home visit, watch for a baby who feels floppy or limp, has poor head control, slips through your hands when lifted, has a weak suck or feeding difficulty, and lags on motor milestones. These are early signs of hypotonia — a reason to refer for a developmental check, not to diagnose.
Read the answer AnswerWhat early signs of Intellectual Disability should a frontline health worker look for during a home visit?
On a home visit, look for a child consistently slower than peers across several areas at once — motor milestones, babble and words, understanding instructions, play and self-help. Intellectual development disorder (ICD-11 6A00) is suspected when delay is broad and persistent, not a single skill. You don't diagnose — you spot the pattern and route promptly to a developmental check.
Read the answer AnswerWhat early signs of Motor Planning Difficulties should a frontline health worker look for during a home visit?
Motor planning difficulties show as a child struggling to figure out and carry out new movements despite normal strength — clumsiness, late milestones, trouble copying actions, and difficulty with buttons or cutlery. A persistent cluster across tasks warrants referral; only a clinician can confirm.
Read the answer AnswerEarly Signs of a Non-Verbal or Minimally Verbal Child
During a home visit, watch how a child communicates beyond speech — pointing, gestures, eye contact, response to name — not just word count. Few or no words by the expected age with limited gesture, or any loss of skills, warrants referral for a developmental check and a parallel hearing test. A clinician confirms; the frontline worker's job is timely referral.
Read the answer AnswerEarly signs of Oppositional Defiant Disorder on a home visit
On a home visit, look for a persistent pattern (6+ months) of angry/irritable mood, argumentative defiance and occasional spitefulness that is frequent for the child's age, shows across settings, and strains family or school life — not ordinary toddler testing. Screen and refer; only a clinician can diagnose.
Read the answer AnswerEarly Signs of Persistent Toe-Walking on a Home Visit
On a home visit, watch for a child over age 2 who walks on toes or balls of the feet most of the time, on both legs, with tight calves or heels that can't reach the floor. Occasional toe-walking in new walkers is normal; persistent toe-walking — or toe-walking with speech, social, stiffness or weakness concerns — warrants a developmental and medical check.
Read the answer AnswerEarly Signs of Prematurity-Related Developmental Risk on a Home Visit
Born-preterm babies face higher developmental risk, so during a home visit track milestones by corrected age, watch feeding and growth, and note unusual stiffness or floppiness. These are watch-and-monitor signs — persistent concern warrants a prompt developmental check, not waiting.
Read the answer AnswerEarly signs of Rett Syndrome for frontline health workers
Watch for regression in a baby girl who was developing normally — loss of purposeful hand use and babble after 6–18 months, repetitive hand-wringing or washing movements, slowing head growth, and breathing irregularities. Any loss of acquired skills needs prompt medical referral; only a clinician can confirm.
Read the answer AnswerEarly Signs of a School Readiness Gap on a Home Visit
During a home visit, look for clusters of difficulty in a child near school age — trouble following simple instructions, unclear speech, very short attention, little pretend play, no pencil control, and difficulty playing with others or managing self-care. These point to a school readiness gap and warrant a developmental check, not a label.
Read the answer AnswerEarly Signs of Selective Mutism on a Home Visit
On a home visit, look for a child who speaks freely with family but consistently cannot speak to you — freezing, whispering or going silent — with the pattern lasting beyond a month and affecting school or friendships. It is anxiety-based, not shyness or hearing loss; refer when the pattern is clear.
Read the answer AnswerEarly signs of self-regulation difficulties on a home visit
On a home visit, watch for a child who melts down intensely and recovers slowly, is very hard to soothe, can't settle their body or attention, reacts strongly to everyday sensations, and a parent who feels drained. Persistent cross-setting patterns deserve a gentle developmental check — only a clinician can assess, never a doorstep label.
Read the answer AnswerEarly signs of Sensory-Based Feeding Selectivity at a home visit
Flag a child for assessment when food refusal is persistent and narrowing: very few accepted foods, refusal of whole textures or groups, gagging or distress at new foods, and any concern about growth. These are early signs of Sensory-Based Feeding Selectivity worth a developmental check — only a clinician can confirm the cause.
Read the answer AnswerEarly Signs of Sensory Processing Differences on a Home Visit
During a home visit, look for a child who is consistently over- or under-responsive to everyday sounds, textures, light or movement — or who constantly seeks intense sensory input — in ways that disrupt feeding, sleep, dressing or play. Note patterns across more than one setting, suggest a hearing and vision check, and route the family for a developmental check. These are observations, not a diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerEarly signs of Separation Anxiety Disorder on a home visit
Separation Anxiety Disorder shows as fear of being apart from a caregiver that is far stronger and longer-lasting than usual for the child's age — intense clinging, sleep refusal, worry about harm to parents, and unexplained tummy aches before separations. Refer for a developmental check when distress is severe, lasts beyond about four weeks, and disrupts sleep, school or family life.
Read the answer AnswerEarly Signs of Social Communication Difficulties on a Home Visit
During a home visit, watch for a child who has words but struggles to use them socially — poor conversational turn-taking, literal understanding, trouble reading tone and body language, and language that doesn't adjust to the listener. These point to Social Communication Difficulties (ICD-11 6A01.22) when they persist across settings and aren't explained by hearing loss or general delay. Screen and refer; only a clinician confirms.
Read the answer AnswerEarly Signs of Specific Learning Disability on a Home Visit
On a home visit you cannot diagnose Specific Learning Disability — it is usually confirmed only after schooling begins (age 6–8). Note early markers in talking, pre-literacy and pre-number skills, plus persistent parent or teacher concern, rule out hearing and vision, and refer a cluster of signs for developmental assessment.
Read the answer AnswerEarly signs of speech and language delay to spot on a home visit
Frontline workers should watch for no babbling or gesture by 12 months, no single words by 16 months, no two-word phrases by 24 months, speech the family cannot understand, or any loss of words — and always pair concern with a hearing check and onward referral, never a label.
Read the answer AnswerEarly Signs of Stereotyped Movement Disorder for Frontline Workers
During a home visit, watch for repetitive, rhythmic, purposeless movements — flapping, rocking, head-banging, self-biting — that persist, interfere with daily life, or cause injury. Occasional rocking is common; refer when movements are frequent, cross settings, or self-harming. Observe and route, never diagnose.
Read the answer AnswerEarly signs of Tourette Syndrome on a home visit
Watch for tics — sudden, repeated movements (eye-blinking, head-jerking, shoulder-shrugging) and sounds (throat-clearing, sniffing, grunting) that persist for weeks, often starting ages 4–8. One-off twitches are normal; refer when tics are frequent, persistent and noticed across many days. Reassure families and refer urgently if you suspect seizures.
Read the answer AnswerEarly signs of visual impairment on a home visit
Refer a baby for an eye and developmental check when the eyes do not fix or follow by 3 months, do not make steady eye contact, look cloudy or show a white pupil, are constantly crossed or wandering after 3 months, or when the child does not reach for things they can see.
Read the answer AnswerWhat emotional difficulties might a teacher notice in a young child?
Teachers may notice frequent or intense meltdowns, trouble calming after upset, clinginess or withdrawal, distress with transitions, and big reactions to small frustrations. What matters is the pattern, persistence and impact across the day — not one hard morning. Sharing specific observations with families is a helpful first step, never a diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerWhat emotional milestones should a 12-to-18-month-old reach?
Between 12 and 18 months, expect growing affection, a wider range of shared feelings, looking to your face for reassurance, small tantrums, and separation awareness. These are wide windows, not a checklist — seek a friendly developmental check if your toddler rarely shares emotion or seeks comfort by around 18 months.
Read the answer AnswerWhat emotional milestones should an 18-to-24-month-old reach?
By 18–24 months most toddlers show affection and pride, check your face before acting, seek comfort when upset, play near other children, and begin (with help) to manage frustration. Tantrums are normal. These are gentle guideposts, not a checklist — a friendly developmental check helps if your toddler rarely seeks comfort or shows no pretend play by 24 months.
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