ASK PINNACLE · QUESTIONS, EXPLANATIONS & NEXT STEPS
Screen
Explore explanations, everyday questions and next steps connected with screen.
12,139 published answers · English · Page 450
CHOOSE THE QUESTION THAT MATTERS NOW
Explore this topic, one useful question at a time.
Therapy & support
The question links above are from this page. Topic groups can continue on later pages; the complete answer list and its pagination remain below.
Therapy & support
My child seems behind other children their age — should I be worried?
Noticing your child seems behind peers is worth attention but not panic — children develop at different paces and many gaps close with time and support. Watch for a skill that has faded, several areas lagging together, little change over months, or a persistent parental instinct. A developmental check gives clear, reassuring answers. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerMy child spins objects again and again — should I be worried?
Spinning objects repeatedly is a common and usually harmless sensory preference in young children. What matters is the whole picture — eye contact, response to name, shared enjoyment and developing communication. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerMy child stares at lights or fans — should I be worried?
Briefly staring at lights or fans is very common and usually normal in young children, driven by curiosity and attraction to movement and contrast. It is worth a gentle developmental check only when the staring is frequent and hard to interrupt and appears alongside limited eye contact, not responding to their name, or delayed speech. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerMy child started talking late — should I be worried?
A late start with talking is common and often not a cause for alarm, especially when a child understands language well and communicates through gestures and eye contact. What matters is the overall pattern of understanding and connection, plus a hearing check. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerMy child stopped responding to sounds — what should I do?
A child who has stopped responding to sounds needs prompt medical attention this week — see a paediatrician or ENT urgently for a hearing check to rule out wax, ear fluid, infection or other causes. This is a medical-first step before any therapy. Note when it started and any illness or ear symptoms, and seek same-day care for fever, ear discharge, drowsiness or loss of other skills.
Read the answer AnswerMy child stopped talking and lost words — should I be worried?
A genuine loss of words or skills a child already had (developmental regression) is one of the few signs worth acting on promptly, without waiting. Causes range from treatable hearing loss to developmental differences or, rarely, medical issues — so a structured clinician check is the right step. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerMy child struggles to make friends — should I be worried?
Struggling to make friends is common and rarely alarming on its own — many children are simply shy or still learning the skills of play and turn-taking. Consider a developmental check when the difficulty is persistent, causes real distress or loneliness, appears across settings, or sits alongside differences in speech, attention or social communication. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerMy child stutters when speaking — should I be worried?
Stuttering between ages 2 and 5 is often a normal developmental phase as a child's ideas outpace their speaking skills, and it usually settles on its own. Seek a gentle speech and developmental check if it lasts more than six months, worsens, comes with visible struggle or tension, or your child becomes upset or avoids speaking. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerMy child suddenly lost skills — is this an emergency?
A genuine, sudden loss of skills your child already had is a medical priority — see a doctor promptly, today if it came on fast or with seizures, drowsiness, fever or injury. Regression needs a doctor's assessment first, not a therapy waitlist. Trust what you're seeing; therapy follows once the medical picture is clear.
Read the answer AnswerMy child talks but is hard to understand — should I be worried?
Some unclear speech is a normal stage of learning to talk. As a rough guide, strangers should understand about half of a 2-year-old, most of a 3-year-old, and almost all of a 4-year-old. If your child is well past these ages and still very hard to follow, or is frustrated trying to be understood, a speech-and-language check is worthwhile. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerMy child throws big tantrums — should I be worried?
Tantrums are a normal part of early childhood, peaking between 1 and 4 years as big emotions arrive before the words and self-control to manage them. For most children they are not a worry — what matters is whether they are very frequent, very intense, very long, or continue strongly past age 5, especially alongside delays in talking, play or connecting. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerMy child wakes up many times at night — should I be worried?
Waking several times a night is very common and usually normal in babies and toddlers, whose sleep is lighter and more cyclical than adults'. Reviewing bedtime routine and comfort helps most children settle. Seek a check if there are breathing pauses, extreme daytime sleepiness, or developmental worries. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerToe-Walking in Children: Should You Be Worried?
Toe-walking is common in young children and usually resolves on its own — especially under age three — particularly if a child can stand flat-footed when reminded and is meeting other milestones. A check is worthwhile if it is constant, one-sided, comes with tight heel cords or stiffness, or alongside speech or coordination concerns. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerMy child won't sleep through the night — should I be worried?
Night waking is one of the most normal parts of early childhood and is rarely, on its own, a cause for concern — settling back to sleep is a skill children build gradually. Worth a closer look only if it comes with snoring and breathing pauses, loss of skills, or daytime difficulties. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerBeing a Good Friend to a Classmate Who Learns Differently
Being a good friend to a classmate who learns differently means being patient, kind and curious — treating them as a whole person, noticing their strengths, asking how they like help rather than assuming, and including them in everyday play and groups. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerMy second child is slower than my first — should I worry?
Children develop at their own pace, and a second child being slower than the first is usually normal variation rather than a problem. What matters is steady progress and meeting broad age milestones, not sibling comparison. Seek a developmental check if your child loses skills, stalls, or your instinct says something is different. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerAutism and bilingualism — can a child learn more than one language?
Yes. The evidence shows bilingualism does not cause, worsen or add to language delay in children with autism — they reach broadly the same milestones as monolingual peers. Keeping the home language supports family connection and identity. What matters most is rich, warm interaction, not the number of languages. Any diagnosis or AbilityScore is formed only at a Pinnacle centre under clinician care.
Read the answer AnswerShould I expect setbacks during therapy?
Some ups and downs during therapy are completely normal and not a sign of failure. Children develop in spurts and pauses, and brief plateaus often come right before a leap forward. What matters is the overall direction over weeks and months, not any single hard day. Progress is tracked the same structured way each visit at a Pinnacle centre under clinician care.
Read the answer AnswerShould I get a second opinion on my child's diagnosis?
Seeking a second opinion on a child's diagnosis is normal, sensible and often wise — a good clinician welcomes it. It helps most when findings don't match what you see at home, the first assessment felt rushed, or you need confidence before starting therapy. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerShould I get my 12-to-18-month-old assessed for development?
A developmental check between 12 and 18 months is a normal, reassuring part of good parenting — not a sign something is wrong. It confirms your toddler is on track or flags an area to support early, when help works best. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerShould I get my 18-to-24-month-old assessed for development?
A gentle developmental check between 18 and 24 months is a normal, reassuring step — whether or not you have worries. This is a milestone-rich window for words, pointing, pretend play and walking, and an early check confirms your toddler is thriving or catches any small gap early, when support works best. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerShould I get my 2-year-old assessed for development?
Two years is an ideal age for a developmental check — whether for reassurance or a specific worry — because the toddler brain is most adaptable and any support is earlier and lighter. A check reviews communication, play, movement and social-emotional growth as patterns over time, never a single missed milestone. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerShould I get my 3-to-6-month-old assessed for development?
For most babies aged 3 to 6 months, a developmental check is a normal, reassuring part of care rather than a worry — there is no meaningful test for autism or ADHD at this age, so a clinician simply observes how your baby moves, looks, listens and connects. Routine paediatric reviews are usually enough; seek a check sooner if you notice no smiles or eye contact, no following of sound or objects, very stiff or floppy posture, or any loss of skills. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerShould I get my 3-year-old assessed for development?
A developmental check at age three is a worthwhile, proactive step for any child — reassuring you when all is on track and flagging any area needing early support when it is most effective. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer