Developmental red flags
Social emotional
· 6 months: Does not smile or interact with people
· 9 months: Not sharing enjoyment with others using eye contact or facial expression
· 12 months: Does not notice someone new; Does not play early turn-taking games (e.g. peekaboo, rolling a ball)
· 18 months: Lacks interest in playing and interacting with others
· 2 years: When playing with toys tends to bang, drop or throw them rather than use them for their purpose (e.g. cuddle dolls, build blocks)
· 3 years: No interest in pretend play or interacting with other children; Difficulty noticing and understanding feelings in themselves and others (e.g. happy, sad)
· 4 years: Unwilling or unable to play cooperatively.
· 5 years: Play is different than their friends
Communication
· 6 months: Not starting to babble (e.g. aahh; oohh)
· 9 months: Not using gestures (e.g. pointing, showing, waving); Not using two part babble (e.g. bubu, dada)
· 12 months: No babbled phrases that sound like talking; No response to familiar words (e.g. bottle, daddy)
· 18 months: No clear words; Not able to understand short requests (e.g. ‘Where is the ball?’)
· 2 years: Not learning new words; Not putting words together (e.g. ‘push car’)
· 3 years: Speech difficult for familiar people to understand; Not using simple sentences (e.g. ‘Big car go’)
· 4 years: Speech difficult to understand; Not able to follow directions with two steps (e.g. ‘Put your bag away and then go play’)
· 5 years: Difficulty telling a parent what is wrong; Not able to answer questions in a simple conversation (e.g. ‘What’s your name? Who is your family? What do you like to watch on TV?’)
Cognition, fine motor and self-care
· 6 months: Not reaching for and holding (grasping) toys; Hands frequently clenched; Does not explore objects with hands, eyes, and mouth; Does not bring hands together at midline.
· 9 months: Does not hold objects; Does not ‘give’ objects on request; Cannot move toy from one hand to another.
· 12 months: Does not feed self finger foods or hold own bottle/cup; Unable to pick up small items using index finger and thumb.
· 18 months: Does not scribble with a crayon; Does not attempt to stack blocks after demonstration.
· 2 years: Does not attempt to feed self using a spoon and/or help with dressing.
· 3 years: Does not attempt everyday self-care skills (such as feeding or dressing); Difficulty in manipulating small objects (e.g. threading beads).
· 4 years: Not toilet trained by day; Not able to draw lines and circles.
· 5 years: Concerns from teacher about school readiness; Not able to independently complete everyday routines such as feeding and dressing; Not able to draw simple pictures (e.g. stick person).
Gross Motor
· 6 months: Not holding head and shoulders up with good control when lying on tummy; Not holding head with control in supported sitting.
· 9 months: Not rolling; Not sitting independently/without support; Not moving (e.g. creeping, crawling); Not taking weight on legs when held in standing.
· 12 months: No form of independent mobility (e.g. crawling, commando crawling, bottom shuffle); Not pulling to stand independently and holding on for support.
· 18 months: Not standing independently; Not attempting to walk without support.
· 2 years: Not able to walk independently; Not able to walk up and down stairs holding on.
· 3 years: Not able to walk up and down stairs independently; Not able to run or jump.
· 4 years: Not able to walk, run, climb, jump, and use stairs confidently; Not able to catch, throw, or kick a ball.
· 5 years: Not able to walk, run, climb, jump, and use stairs confidently; Not able to hop five times on one leg and stand on one leg for five seconds.
Red flags at any age
· Strong parental concerns.
· Significant loss of skills.
· Lack of response to sound or visual stimuli.
· Poor interaction with adults or other children.
· Lack of, or limited eye contact.
· Differences between right and left sides of body in strength, movement, or tone.
· Marked low tone (floppy) or high tone (stiff and tense) significantly impacting on development and functional motor skills.
