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Special Education
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Signs & concerns
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Signs & concerns
When should I worry about Motor Planning Difficulties at 6?
At 6, mild clumsiness is normal. Motor planning difficulties are worth checking when several signs persist beyond a few months, appear across home and school, and affect daily life or confidence — messy handwriting, trouble learning new physical tasks, slow dressing, avoiding physical play. This is about how movement is organised, not intelligence. Only a clinician can assess.
Read the answer AnswerWhen should I worry that my 6-year-old might have a non-verbal or minimally verbal presentation?
By six, most children speak in fluent sentences, so very limited or absent speech is a clear reason to seek a developmental check now rather than wait. Limited speech does not mean limited understanding or potential — the goal of assessment is to find why speech is limited and give the child a reliable way to communicate, including AAC. Only a Pinnacle clinician can assess what's underneath.
Read the answer AnswerWhen should I worry my 6-year-old has ODD?
At six, plenty of arguing and limit-testing is normal. Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ICD-11 6C90) is considered only when an angry, defiant, argumentative pattern is frequent, persistent (around six months), more intense than expected for the age, present across more than one setting, and clearly straining family, friendships or learning. It's a pattern to observe and discuss — only a Pinnacle clinician can assess, never an online form.
Read the answer AnswerWhen should I worry about persistent toe-walking at 6?
Most children outgrow toe-walking before six, so persistent toe-walking at this age warrants a calm, planned check — especially if it happens most of the time, affects both feet, or comes with tight heel cords. It's often harmless habit, but six is the right moment to rule out muscle or neurological causes. Only a clinician can assess what's underneath.
Read the answer AnswerWhen should I worry that my 6-year-old might have Prematurity-Related Developmental Risk?
By six, most children born early are thriving, but full-time school reveals subtler differences. Seek a developmental check if your child is clearly and persistently behind classmates in learning, attention, language, movement or emotional regulation — across home and school, not just one hard week. Worry isn't the aim; a clear picture is.
Read the answer AnswerWhen should I worry about Rett Syndrome in my 6-year-old?
Rett Syndrome almost always appears far earlier than age 6 — usually between 6 and 18 months — with a distinctive loss of purposeful hand use and spoken words after early normal development. A 6-year-old who has developed and kept her speech, hand skills and play is very unlikely to have it. What always deserves a prompt check at any age is loss of skills she once had — not a diagnosis, but a reason for clinical review.
Read the answer AnswerWhen should I worry about a school readiness gap at 6?
A school readiness gap at six is worth checking when difficulties with routines, listening, early learning, attention or social skills persist beyond the settling-in weeks and appear both at home and school. It is a reason to assess early, not to panic — most gaps respond very well to timely, targeted support.
Read the answer AnswerWhen should I worry about Selective Mutism at 6?
Take a closer look when your 6-year-old talks freely at home but is consistently silent in specific settings like school, and this has lasted more than about a month beyond the settling-in period — and is affecting learning, friendships or activities. Selective mutism is an anxiety-based, very treatable difficulty, not defiance or a phase to ignore. Only a Pinnacle clinician can assess; never an online form.
Read the answer AnswerWhen should I worry about self-regulation difficulties at 6?
At six, some difficulty managing feelings, waiting and recovering from upset is normal. Worry — and seek a developmental check — when difficulties are frequent, intense, span home and school over weeks, and disrupt friendships, learning or family life. Only a clinician can assess what's underneath.
Read the answer AnswerWhen should I worry about feeding selectivity in my 6-year-old?
Most six-year-olds are picky, and a short favourites list is normal. Sensory-Based Feeding Selectivity becomes a concern when the pattern is persistent and limiting — a shrinking food range, strong sensory reactions, refused food groups, mealtime distress, or effects on growth and nutrition. Impact and duration matter more than fussiness alone. Only a Pinnacle clinician can assess; never an online form.
Read the answer AnswerWhen Should I Worry About Separation Anxiety in My 6-Year-Old?
Some separation worry is normal at six, especially around new routines. Consider Separation Anxiety Disorder when the fear is intense, lasts about a month or more, and disrupts school, sleep and daily life. Persistent distress across settings deserves a clinician's gentle check — only a Pinnacle clinician can assess, never an online form.
Read the answer AnswerWhen to worry about Social Communication Difficulties at 6
At six, worry enough to seek a check when your child consistently struggles with the social use of language — taking turns, reading tone and body language, adjusting how they speak, and sharing back-and-forth play — despite fine words and grammar. This is not a diagnosis; it signals that a structured developmental look is wise now, because early, school-age support works best.
Read the answer AnswerWhen should I worry my 6-year-old has a Specific Learning Disability?
At six, some stumbling with reading, writing and maths is normal as these skills begin. Worry is reasonable when difficulties persist across a school term, are out of step with your child's clear intelligence, and aren't explained by another cause. Worry is a reason to screen, not a diagnosis — only a clinician can confirm SLD.
Read the answer AnswerWhen to Worry About Stereotyped Movement in a 6-Year-Old
Repetitive movements like rocking, flapping or spinning are common in children and usually harmless. Stereotyped Movement Disorder (ICD-11 6A06) is considered only when movements are frequent, driven, purposeless, persist across settings and interfere with daily life or cause physical harm. A single movement is never a diagnosis — only a Pinnacle clinician can assess. Movements with absences, stiffening or loss of awareness need a prompt medical review.
Read the answer AnswerWhen should I worry that my 6-year-old might have Tourette Syndrome?
Brief, single tics around ages 5–7 are common and usually pass. Tourette Syndrome is considered only when a child has multiple motor tics plus at least one vocal tic, lasting over a year and beginning before 18. At six, seek a check when tics are persistent, varied, distressing or affecting school and friendships — and remember tics are involuntary, never to be disciplined. Only a Pinnacle clinician can assess, never an online form.
Read the answer AnswerWhen to worry about visual impairment in a 6-year-old
At six, school reading and board work make vision difficulties noticeable — so this is a natural age to check. Most blurry vision is a simple refractive error that glasses correct. Watch for sitting too close, squinting, head-tilting, eye-rubbing, headaches or trouble copying from the board; persistent signs deserve an eye check, and any sudden change or eye turn needs prompt medical attention. Only a Pinnacle clinician can assess, never an online form.
Read the answer AnswerWhen Should I Worry About Attachment Difficulties at 9–12 Months?
At 9–12 months, Attachment Difficulties cannot meaningfully be diagnosed — and behaviours like separation protest and stranger wariness are healthy signs of bonding, not problems. True attachment difficulties (ICD-11 6B44) are considered only where responsive care has been disrupted, and only a Pinnacle clinician can assess, never an online form. Most worried parents at this age are seeing normal, secure attachment forming.
Read the answer AnswerWhen to Worry About Auditory Processing at 9–12 Months
At 9–12 months it is too early to identify Auditory Processing Difficulties, which describes how the brain interprets clearly heard sounds and is only meaningful around school age. What matters now is whether your baby can hear and is responding to sound — turning to your voice, responding to their name, and babbling. Any doubt warrants a hearing check and general developmental review, not a processing label.
Read the answer AnswerWhen should I worry about anxiety in my 9-to-12-month-old?
At 9 to 12 months, childhood anxiety cannot meaningfully be identified — and behaviours that worry parents, like separation protest and stranger wariness, are normal signs of healthy attachment that peak at exactly this age. There is nothing to diagnose as anxiety here. Seek a check only for broader developmental signals, and remember any assessment is formed only at a Pinnacle centre, never online.
Read the answer AnswerWhen should I worry about Childhood Apraxia of Speech at 9–12 months?
At 9–12 months it is too early to identify Childhood Apraxia of Speech, which is diagnosed only once a child is actively attempting words — usually from around 18 months to 2–3 years. What matters now is watching the healthy building blocks: babble, gestures, response to name and shared attention. If those seem quiet, the right step is a gentle developmental and hearing check, not a CAS hunt. Only a Pinnacle clinician can assess, never an online form.
Read the answer AnswerWhen should I worry about epilepsy in my 9-12 month-old?
Most startles, jerks and stares in a 9-to-12-month-old are not epilepsy and settle on their own. But Childhood Epilepsy is a medical matter, so true seizures or repeated unusual movements need prompt doctor review — not therapy-first or wait-and-watch. Seek emergency care for any seizure over 5 minutes, breathing trouble, blue lips or a first convulsion. Diagnosis is made by doctors; a Pinnacle AbilityScore® is never an online form.
Read the answer AnswerWhen should I worry about sleep difficulties at 9–12 months?
Frequent night waking and needing help to settle are normal at 9 to 12 months and rarely signal a disorder. Worry when sleep problems persist for weeks AND clearly affect daytime alertness, feeding, mood or development — or when there is loud snoring, breathing pauses or unusual movements in sleep, which need prompt medical review.
Read the answer AnswerWhen to Worry About Conduct Disorder in a 9–12-Month-Old
Conduct-Dissocial Disorder (ICD-11 6C91) cannot be identified in a 9-to-12-month-old — it describes a persistent pattern of rule- and rights-violating behaviour in children old enough to understand rules and intent, which a baby cannot. Biting, throwing and frustration at this age are normal exploration, not a disorder. What is appropriate now is to track everyday milestones and seek a general developmental check if any are missed. Only a Pinnacle clinician forms any assessment, never an online form.
Read the answer AnswerWhen to worry about DCD in a 9–12-month-old
Developmental Coordination Disorder cannot be diagnosed at 9–12 months — it is a judgement about how a child learns coordinated motor skills, usually only considered from around age 5. At this age, simply watch broad gross-motor milestones (sitting steadily, moving about, pulling to stand, using both hands) and mention concerns at a routine check. Only a Pinnacle clinician can assess; never an online form.
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