ASK PINNACLE · QUESTIONS, EXPLANATIONS & NEXT STEPS
Book Assessment
Explore explanations, everyday questions and next steps connected with book assessment.
11,466 published answers · English · Page 436
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
What should I do if my child echoes what others say?
Echoing others' speech — echolalia — is usually a normal, meaningful step in learning to talk, and is often purposeful communication. Respond by modelling and expanding language rather than correcting, and seek a developmental check if echoing remains the main way your child talks past toddlerhood or comes with other differences. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat should I do if my child flaps their hands?
Hand-flapping in children is very common and usually harmless — often a way to express excitement or self-regulate. What matters is the whole developmental picture: how your child communicates, plays and connects. Watch the context, avoid punishing it, and consider a gentle developmental check if flapping is frequent and appears alongside other concerns. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat should I do if my child forgets things quickly?
If your child forgets things quickly, observe the pattern, reduce memory load with one-step instructions and visual cues, protect sleep, and arrange a developmental check if it affects learning or routines. Memory and attention are skills that can be strengthened. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat should I do if my child gags on certain food textures?
If your child gags on certain food textures, keep mealtimes calm and pressure-free, offer small tastes of new textures beside trusted foods, and grade textures gently. Seek a check if gagging is frequent, leads to choking or vomiting, or your child eats only a very narrow range. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat should I do if my child gets fixated on one thing?
A child who gets fixated on one thing is usually showing a normal, healthy focus. Stay warm: join the interest, then use it as a bridge to new activities, people and skills, and offer gentle warnings before transitions. Seek a developmental check only if the fixation is so intense it crowds out play, language, social connection or daily life. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat should I do if my child has a very floppy body?
A very floppy body (low muscle tone or hypotonia) deserves a prompt paediatric check rather than waiting — and urgent care if it comes on suddenly or with breathing, feeding or alertness problems. After medical review, physiotherapy and occupational therapy help build strength and milestones. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat should I do if my child has a very stiff body?
A child with a very stiff body should be reviewed by a doctor or developmental clinician, with urgent care if stiffness is sudden or comes with fever, arching, breathing trouble or jerking. Persistent or increasing stiffness benefits from gentle handling and a developmental check; physiotherapy and occupational therapy often help. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat should I do if my child has frequent meltdowns?
Frequent meltdowns mean a child's feelings have outgrown their coping tools. Stay calm and keep them safe in the moment, track triggers, and build emotional vocabulary and regulation over time. If meltdowns are very frequent, intense or affecting daily life, seek a developmental check. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat should I do if my child hates certain textures?
If your child hates certain textures, respect the discomfort, lower the pressure, and build tolerance slowly through play at their pace rather than forcing contact. Texture preferences are common; a check is worth it when avoidance limits eating, dressing or play. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat should I do if my child hits other people?
If your child hits others, stay calm, keep everyone safe, name the feeling and set a clear limit, and teach a better way to handle frustration — hitting is usually communication, not naughtiness. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat should I do if my child hurts themselves on purpose?
If your child hurts themselves on purpose, stay calm, keep them safe, and treat it as communication of an unmet need rather than naughtiness. Respond gently, reduce triggers, and arrange a developmental and emotional check to understand the cause. Developmental measurement supports care planning; diagnosis requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional. under qualified clinician care; seek urgent medical help if injuries are severe.
Read the answer AnswerWhat should I do if my child is a very picky eater?
Most picky eating is a normal phase best handled with calm, pressure-free, consistent strategies: keep offering varied foods, let your child explore at their own pace, and eat together. Seek a check if your child gags, chokes, refuses whole food groups or textures, or isn't growing well. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat should I do if my child is bothered by clothing tags?
If your child is bothered by clothing tags, start with simple, practical steps: snip out tags, choose soft seamless or tagless clothing, give your child some control, and stay calm and validating. This is a common form of tactile sensitivity that often eases with small adjustments. A developmental check helps if the sensitivity is intense, spreads across many everyday situations, or disrupts dressing, eating, sleep or daily life. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat should I do if my child is clumsy and falls a lot?
Some clumsiness is a normal part of growing up, but frequent falls or trouble learning new physical skills deserve a gentle check. Start with a basic medical look-over for vision, hearing and muscle causes, build coordination through playful movement, and seek a developmental check if it persists. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat should I do if my child is slower than my other children?
Children develop at different paces, so comparing siblings is rarely helpful. Look at your child against age-typical milestones for talking, movement, learning and play — and if they are clearly behind in one or more areas, or if your instinct says so, a developmental check gives clarity. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat should I do if my child is very aggressive?
Aggression in children is usually communication, not character — a sign that a feeling or need is overflowing without the words or self-regulation skills to handle it. Stay calm, keep everyone safe, look for the triggers behind the behaviour, and seek a developmental check if it is frequent, intense or affecting daily life. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat should I do if my child isn't crawling yet?
Crawling appears in most babies between 6 and 10 months, and many healthy children skip it entirely for bottom-shuffling or pulling to stand. Steady progress in strength and movement matters more than crawling itself; offer plenty of tummy time and floor play. Seek a check if your baby isn't bearing weight on the legs by 9–12 months, is persistently stiff or floppy, uses only one side, or loses a skill. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat should I do if my child isn't interested in toys?
If your child isn't interested in toys, watch *how* they explore the world — through people, sounds, movement or everyday objects — and follow their lead, offering fewer, simpler things and playing face to face. Disinterest alone is rarely a concern; a check helps most when it appears alongside limited eye contact, pointing or language. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat should I do if my child isn't potty trained yet?
Most children are potty trained at their own pace, often past age 2 or 3, and a wide range is normal. Stay calm and unpressured, build a gentle routine, and follow your child's readiness signs. Seek a developmental check if delay continues past 3.5–4 years, comes with constipation or distress, or sits alongside other developmental differences. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat should I do if my child isn't putting words together?
If your child isn't combining words by around 24 months, the best step is a warm developmental and speech check rather than waiting — alongside talking, reading and expanding on their words at home. Many children simply need encouragement; some benefit from speech therapy. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat should I do if my child isn't reaching milestones like other kids?
If your child isn't reaching milestones like peers, note what you observe, compare against trusted milestone checklists, keep up rich everyday interaction, and arrange a developmental check rather than waiting. A single delay is rarely alarming, but a structured check tells you whether your child needs more time or early support. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat should I do if my child isn't rolling over?
Most babies roll over between 4 and 6 months, with a wide normal range. Encourage frequent tummy time, free floor play and reaching to one side, and reduce time in seats and carriers. Seek a developmental check if your baby isn't rolling either way by 6–7 months, feels stiff or floppy, uses only one side, or loses skills. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to do if your child isn't saying any words
If your child isn't saying any words, act early rather than waiting — talk and read daily, follow your child's lead, check hearing, and seek a speech and language check if there is no babbling or gesture by 12 months, no single words by 16–18 months, 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 AnswerWhat should I do if my child isn't sitting up yet?
Most babies sit with support around 6 months and sit independently by about 9 months, within a wide healthy range. Keep offering tummy time and supported sitting practice, and seek a developmental check if your child is past 9 months without sitting, seems very floppy or stiff, or has lost a skill. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer