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Special Education
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Signs & concerns
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Signs & concerns
What everyday classroom signs might suggest a child has Down Syndrome?
Down syndrome is a genetic condition confirmed by medical and genetic testing at or near birth, not identified from classroom signs. A teacher will usually be supporting a child with an existing diagnosis, and can helpfully observe their learning profile — strong visual learning, later speech with better understanding, lower muscle tone, and social warmth — to match support, never to label.
Read the answer AnswerWhat everyday classroom signs might suggest dyscalculia?
Dyscalculia shows in class as difficulty with number sense, counting, recalling maths facts and reading place value — often alongside strong reading or language skills. Persistent patterns across a term, resistant to extra help, are worth screening; only a clinician can confirm.
Read the answer AnswerWhat everyday classroom signs might suggest dysgraphia?
Dysgraphia shows in class as written work far below a child's spoken ability — messy, slow, effortful handwriting, poor spacing, inconsistent letters, frequent spelling errors, and a wide gap between what a child can say and what they write. Persistent patterns across weeks and subjects are worth flagging; only a clinician can confirm.
Read the answer AnswerWhat everyday classroom signs might suggest a child has Dyslexia?
Dyslexia shows in class as slow, effortful word reading, inconsistent spelling, letter reversals past the usual age, and written work much weaker than a child's clear spoken ability — not from low effort or intelligence. A persistent cluster despite good teaching is worth a screen; only a clinician can confirm.
Read the answer AnswerClassroom Signs of Emotional & Behavioural Difficulties
Emotional & behavioural difficulties show in class as emotions or behaviours more intense, frequent or lasting than expected for age — withdrawal, low mood, outbursts, defiance, trouble settling — that persist across weeks and settings and disrupt learning or friendships. A pattern, not one bad day, is what warrants a developmental check.
Read the answer AnswerWhat everyday classroom signs might suggest a child has feeding & eating difficulties?
In class, feeding and eating difficulties may look like a very narrow food range, strong texture refusals, gagging, very slow eating, or anxiety at mealtimes. Observe the pattern across days, document kindly, and share with parents — only a clinician can assess. Persistent difficulty, low energy or distress at every meal warrants a developmental check.
Read the answer AnswerWhat everyday classroom signs might suggest FASD?
FASD often appears in class as a pattern, not one sign: inconsistent memory, difficulty holding multi-step instructions, weak planning and organisation, impulsivity, social immaturity, and behaviour that doesn't respond to usual strategies. No single sign confirms it and teachers never diagnose — but a persistent cluster across the school day is a strong reason to flag a developmental check.
Read the answer AnswerWhat everyday classroom signs might suggest a child has Fine Motor Delay?
Fine motor delay shows in class as difficulty with small precise hand movements expected for age — awkward pencil grip, messy writing, trouble with scissors, buttons, zips and shoelaces, and tiring or avoiding hands-on tasks. A persistent pattern across weeks, not a single off day, is worth flagging to parents for a developmental check.
Read the answer AnswerWhat everyday classroom signs might suggest a child has a Genetic or Chromosomal Syndrome?
Genetic or chromosomal syndromes may show in class as a consistent gap across learning, communication, movement or self-care — present across settings rather than on off days. Teachers observe and document; only a clinician assesses. A persistent cluster of signs warrants a gentle family conversation and a general developmental check.
Read the answer AnswerClassroom signs of Global Developmental Delay
In the classroom, Global Developmental Delay often looks like a young child who is consistently behind peers across several areas at once — slower to follow instructions and speak, slow to grasp new concepts, clumsy with movement, and needing more help with self-care and play. The key signal is breadth and persistence, not one tricky subject. Teachers don't diagnose; sharing specific observations with families and routing to a developmental check is the right step.
Read the answer AnswerWhat everyday classroom signs might suggest a child has Gross Motor Delay?
In the classroom, gross motor delay can show as fatigue, slumping or sliding off the chair, frequent trips and clumsiness, late or awkward running, jumping and stairs, and hanging back from active play. A consistent pattern across weeks — not a single off-day — is the signal to share with the family and suggest a developmental check.
Read the answer AnswerWhat everyday classroom signs might suggest a child has Hearing Impairment?
In class, hearing impairment may show as a child who watches faces closely, often asks for repetition, mishears or ignores instructions from behind, has unclear speech, or falls behind in phonics. Several persistent signs across days warrant a hearing test and developmental review — only a clinician confirms.
Read the answer AnswerWhat everyday classroom signs might suggest a child has Hypotonia (Low Muscle Tone)?
Hypotonia in the classroom often shows as slumping, quick fatigue, a loose pencil grip, clumsy movement and W-sitting — high effort with lagging output. It isn't laziness or low ability. A pattern that persists across activities is worth flagging to parents for a developmental check.
Read the answer AnswerWhat everyday classroom signs might suggest Intellectual Disability?
Intellectual Disability may show in class as consistently slower learning across many areas, difficulty with reasoning, simpler language, and needing more help with everyday and social skills than peers. These are observations to share, never a diagnosis — confirmation comes only from clinical assessment.
Read the answer AnswerWhat everyday classroom signs might suggest a child has Motor Planning Difficulties?
Motor planning difficulties show up in class as awkward, tiring handwriting, trouble with scissors and shoelaces, clumsiness in PE, slow changing and transitions, and difficulty with multi-step instructions — with strong ideas but laboured doing. These are patterns to notice, not diagnose.
Read the answer AnswerWhat everyday classroom signs might suggest a child has Non-Verbal / Minimally Verbal Presentation?
A non-verbal or minimally verbal child uses few or no spoken words, relying on gestures, pointing or leading by the hand — often understanding more than they can say. Watch for a consistent pattern across the school day, check hearing first, and suggest a warm developmental check; the label matters less than getting communication support in place.
Read the answer AnswerClassroom signs that might suggest Oppositional Defiant Disorder
ODD may show as a persistent six-month-plus pattern of angry or irritable mood, argumentative defiance, and spitefulness that is more frequent and intense than expected for age and disrupts learning. Teachers should notice the pattern across settings and flag it — only a clinician can assess and confirm.
Read the answer AnswerWhat everyday classroom signs might suggest persistent toe-walking?
Persistent toe-walking shows in the classroom as a child past about two who habitually walks on the balls of their feet with heels rarely touching down — during walking, queuing or play — often with tight calves and quick tiring. It's frequently harmless but a consistent pattern is worth a gentle physiotherapy and developmental check.
Read the answer AnswerWhat everyday classroom signs might suggest Prematurity-Related Developmental Risk?
Children born preterm may show classroom signs such as clumsiness, fine-motor difficulty, short attention, slower language and easy overwhelm — always judged against corrected age, not birthday age. A pattern that persists across weeks and activities is worth sharing with the family for a developmental check; only a clinician can assess.
Read the answer AnswerClassroom Signs That May Suggest Rett Syndrome
In class, possible signs of Rett Syndrome include loss of skills once mastered, repetitive hand movements (wringing, washing, mouthing), reduced spoken words, intense eye gaze used to communicate, and unsteady walking. Regression is the key pattern to document and share with the family for prompt medical referral.
Read the answer AnswerEveryday Classroom Signs of a School Readiness Gap
A School Readiness Gap shows in everyday classroom signs — trouble settling into routines, following multi-step instructions, sharing and turn-taking, holding a pencil, or recognising letters and numbers — that lag noticeably behind same-age peers across weeks and activities. It is not a diagnosis; persistent clusters warrant a gentle developmental check, never a label.
Read the answer AnswerWhat everyday classroom signs might suggest a child has Selective Mutism?
Selective mutism shows in class as consistent silence at school in a child who speaks freely at home — whispering only to a close friend, using gestures instead of words, freezing when asked to speak, and appearing anxious rather than defiant. When this clear home-versus-school contrast lasts beyond settling-in weeks, suggest a developmental check; only a clinician can confirm.
Read the answer AnswerWhat everyday classroom signs might suggest a child has Self-Regulation Difficulties?
In class, self-regulation difficulties show as reactions bigger, longer or harder to recover from than expected for age — across many days and settings: big emotional swings, trouble calming, calling out, struggling with transitions, and strong sensory responses. These are observations to share and screen, never a teacher's diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerWhat everyday classroom signs might suggest Sensory-Based Feeding Selectivity?
In class, Sensory-Based Feeding Selectivity shows as eating sharply limited by how foods look, smell, feel or sound — a narrow fixed food range, gagging or distress at textures, refusal of foods that touch, eating much less than peers, and anxiety at mealtimes. It is a pattern to flag to the family, not a diagnosis.
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