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Special Education
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Signs & concerns
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Signs & concerns
When should I worry about dysgraphia at 18–24 months?
Dysgraphia cannot be identified at 18–24 months — written expression depends on handwriting skills children only build from around age 5–7. A toddler isn't expected to write, so there are no genuine dysgraphia signs now. Instead, nurture fine-motor play, scribbling and communication, and raise any general developmental concerns early. Formal dysgraphia assessment becomes meaningful only from about age 6.
Read the answer AnswerWhen should I worry about dyslexia in my 18–24-month-old?
Dyslexia is a reading difference, and reading develops years from now — so it cannot be identified in an 18-to-24-month-old, and there's nothing to worry about on that front yet. At this age there is no test for dyslexia. Simply nurture early language, listening and rhyme, as these are the foundations reading is built on. A reading assessment becomes meaningful only around ages 6–8.
Read the answer AnswerWhen to worry about emotional & behavioural difficulties at 18–24 months
Between 18 and 24 months, big tantrums, clinginess and defiance are normal toddler development, not a disorder. Worry is reasonable when difficulties are intense, persistent over weeks, present across many settings, and interfere with sleep, feeding, play or relationships. Behaviour at this age is often communication — a clinician assesses the whole child, never a label from one observation.
Read the answer AnswerWhen should I worry about feeding difficulties at 18–24 months?
Some fussiness is normal at 18–24 months. It is worth a check when feeding patterns persist over weeks and affect wellbeing or growth — a very limited food range, strong texture aversions, mealtime distress, choking or coughing while eating, or faltering growth. Seek a doctor promptly for choking, painful swallowing or weight loss. Only a Pinnacle clinician can assess, never an online form.
Read the answer AnswerWhen to Worry About FASD in a Toddler
FASD is caused by alcohol exposure during pregnancy, not by anything a toddler does — so at 18–24 months it is not diagnosed from a behaviour checklist. A clinician considers it where there is a known or possible history of prenatal alcohol exposure alongside differences in growth, milestones or regulation. Sharing that history honestly is protective, not blameworthy. Only a Pinnacle clinician can assess; never an online form.
Read the answer AnswerFine Motor Delay at 18-24 Months: When to Worry
Between 18 and 24 months, fine motor skills are still emerging and vary widely. It's worth a gentle clinician check — not panic — if your toddler isn't using a thumb-finger pinch, can't stack two blocks, shows no interest in scribbling or self-feeding, or a skill has faded. A cluster of lags, or delay alongside slow walking or few words, deserves prompt review.
Read the answer AnswerWhen to worry about genetic or chromosomal syndromes at 18–24 months
Between 18 and 24 months, seek a check when you see a pattern rather than one isolated sign — several delays together (few words, not walking, low tone, feeding trouble), distinctive physical features, loss of skills, or a family history of genetic conditions. A single late milestone is rarely alarming; a cluster, or losing skills, always warrants prompt clinician review. Only a clinician can assess what's underneath.
Read the answer AnswerWhen should I worry about Global Developmental Delay at 18–24 months?
At 18–24 months, worry is reasonable if your child is behind in two or more areas at once — movement, words, understanding, play — or has lost skills. One slow area often catches up; a pattern across several is the real flag. Worry is a reason to check, not a diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerWhen should I worry about Gross Motor Delay at 18–24 months?
By 18 months most toddlers walk independently; by 24 months they should walk steadily, begin running, squat and climb low furniture. Seek a developmental check if your child is not walking by 18 months, is unsteady or behind by 24 months, strongly favours one side, or loses a skill. A single late milestone in a thriving child is usually fine — a pattern of delays signals the time for a friendly assessment.
Read the answer AnswerWhen should I worry about hypotonia at 18–24 months?
At 18–24 months, seek a developmental check if your toddler is not walking by 18 months, feels floppy when lifted, tires very quickly, has weak trunk control, or lags clearly on movement milestones. Low muscle tone is a sign a clinician investigates, not a diagnosis — and early support helps. A single soft moment is not a worry; a persistent pattern is.
Read the answer AnswerWhen should I worry about Motor Planning Difficulties at 18–24 months?
At 18–24 months, motor planning is still developing, so clumsiness and spills are expected. Worry is rarely warranted from a single skill lagging. The signal to seek a check is a persistent pattern — over weeks and clearly behind peers — of struggling to learn or sequence everyday actions like climbing, feeding or copying gestures. A clinician assesses how, not just whether, your child moves.
Read the answer AnswerWhen should I worry about few words at 18–24 months?
At 18–24 months, few words alone is not always worrying — children talk at different paces. Act sooner when speech is delayed alongside limited gesture, eye contact or understanding, or if a child loses words they once had. By 18 months most toddlers point and use single words; by 24 months most join two words. An early developmental check brings clarity and, if needed, an early head start.
Read the answer AnswerWhen should I worry about ODD in my 18-to-24-month-old?
Defiance, tantrums and constant "no" are normal, healthy behaviour for an 18-to-24-month-old — not signs of Oppositional Defiant Disorder. ODD is a pattern clinicians recognise in older children, because toddlers haven't yet built the self-control the diagnosis assumes. At this age, watch the wider developmental picture — communication, connection, recovery from upset — and seek a general developmental check, not a behaviour label, if something feels off.
Read the answer AnswerPersistent Toe-Walking at 18–24 Months: When to Worry
Occasional toe-walking is common and usually harmless between 18 and 24 months. Worry — and seek a check — if your toddler walks mostly on toes most of the time, has tight or stiff calves, toe-walks on only one side, or shows other delays in talking, play or balance. By around age 2, persistent toe-walking warrants a developmental and gait review.
Read the answer AnswerWhen to worry about prematurity-related developmental risk at 18–24 months
For a premature toddler, always judge milestones by corrected age (from the due date) up to about 2 years. At 18–24 months, seek a developmental check if, by corrected age, your child has no clear words, isn't walking, doesn't point or share interest, or has lost a skill. These are reasons to assess early—not a diagnosis—because early support works best.
Read the answer AnswerWhen should I worry about Rett Syndrome at 18–24 months?
Rett Syndrome is rare and shows itself mainly through regression — a toddler losing skills she once had, especially purposeful hand use, often between 12 and 30 months. At 18–24 months, seek prompt paediatric and developmental review if your child has lost hand skills, shows repetitive hand-wringing or washing movements, has slowing head growth, or has lost words or social connection. These are reasons to assess promptly, not a diagnosis — early review means earlier support.
Read the answer AnswerWhen to Worry About School Readiness Gap at 18–24 Months
At 18–24 months, a "School Readiness Gap" isn't yet a meaningful concern — readiness is assessed closer to ages 3–5. What matters now are the building blocks: communication, play, attention and connection. If any feel delayed, the right step is a friendly general developmental check, not a readiness test.
Read the answer AnswerWhen should I worry that my 18-to-24-month-old might have Selective Mutism?
At 18–24 months it is too early to diagnose selective mutism, which is normally recognised only once a verbal child consistently and persistently goes silent in specific settings, usually after age 3. At this age, focus on whether communication is growing — babbling, gestures, words and understanding. Shyness with strangers is common and not selective mutism. A general developmental check is warranted if words or understanding seem delayed.
Read the answer AnswerWhen should I worry about self-regulation in my 18–24-month-old?
At 18–24 months, intense tantrums and hard-to-soothe big feelings are a normal part of development — toddlers rely on you to help them calm (co-regulation). Worry, and seek a developmental check, only when distress is unusually intense, frequent, hard to settle even with help, and disrupts sleep, play or being with others across settings over several weeks.
Read the answer AnswerWhen should I worry about feeding selectivity at 18–24 months?
Some fussiness is normal at 18–24 months as toddlers assert independence. Worry when selectivity is persistent and narrowing rather than a passing phase — a shrinking menu, texture-driven refusal, strong sensory reactions, dropped food groups, daily mealtime distress, or effects on growth. Seek a gentle check if patterns last beyond a few weeks or affect nutrition. Only a Pinnacle clinician can assess, never an online form.
Read the answer AnswerWhen to Worry About Separation Anxiety at 18–24 Months
At 18–24 months, distress at separation is a normal, healthy stage — not a disorder. Toddlers usually protest when you leave but settle within minutes with a familiar carer. Separation Anxiety Disorder is generally only considered in older children when fear is severe, lasting and disrupts daily life. Seek a developmental check if distress cannot be soothed at all, stops normal eating/sleeping/play, or a skill is lost — not as a diagnosis, but because early observation helps.
Read the answer AnswerWhen to Worry About Social Communication at 18–24 Months
At 18–24 months, the early signs of Social Communication Difficulties are about connection — sharing attention, pointing, gestures and back-and-forth — more than word count. Worry is reasonable if several of these are consistently absent across settings, or if skills are lost. Check hearing first, then seek a developmental review. Only a Pinnacle clinician can assess — never an online form.
Read the answer AnswerWhen to worry about SLD in an 18–24-month-old
At 18–24 months it isn't clinically meaningful to look for Specific Learning Disability — it concerns reading, writing and maths skills your toddler hasn't begun yet, and is usually recognised only around ages 6–8. For now, watch broader development — talking, understanding, play and movement — and route any concern to a general developmental check.
Read the answer AnswerWhen should I worry about Stereotyped Movement Disorder at 18–24 months?
At 18–24 months, repetitive movements like rocking, flapping or head-rolling are usually typical self-soothing or excitement, and fade as play and language grow. Seek a developmental check if the movements cause self-injury, are very hard to interrupt, get in the way of play and learning, or come with delays in talking, social connection or motor skills. These are reasons to assess early — not a diagnosis — because early support works best.
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