Development
Red Flags
in Your Child
Recognizing early red flags in child development is crucial. Delays in milestones, social challenges, and behavioral issues could signal underlying concerns. Limited communication, repetitive behaviors, and regression in acquired skills may indicate developmental disorders.
Children with autism (or ASD) can miss many developmental milestones, early detection empowers caregivers to seek timely professional support, promoting optimal childhood development. Our team of therapist has put together a check list to help you, here are some “Red Flags” to look out for!
0 to 3 Months
- Difficulty lifting head
- Stiff legs with little or no movement
- Frequently resists being held
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- Pushes back with head while lying on back
- Does not follow objects with their eyes
- Keeps hands fisted and lacks arm movement
- Fists remain closed most of the time
- Does not enjoy different types of movement
- Does not cry when hungry or uncomfortable
- Does not notice or respond to loud sounds
- Does not make eye contact or smile at caregiver
- Unable to latch on while nursing or bottle feeding
- Loses a lot of breast milk or formula out of side of mouth while feeding
4 to 6 Months
- Sits with a rounded back
- Avoids eye contact
- Does not smile or laugh
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- Poor head control and unable to lift head
- Difficulty bringing arms forward to reach out
- Arches back and stiffens legs when pulling to a seat
- Holds arms back and has stiff legs in a supported stand
- Does not try to grasp or reach for toys
- Does not bring hands or objects to mouth
- Frequently irritable for no apparent reason
- Does not visually track moving objects
- Does not respond to sounds or voices
- Does not make any vowel sounds
- Does not hold own bottle during feeding
7 to 9 Months
- Difficulty crawling
- Uses one hand predominantly
- Poor use of arms in sitting
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- Rounded back when sitting, inability to straighten back
- Uses only one side of the body to move
- Cannot take weight on legs
- Does not transfer toys from one hand to the other
- Does not enjoy playing with toys of varied textures
- Does not enjoy playing with musical toys
- Is not interested in playing with colorful objects
- Does not move to explore environment when placed on the floor
- Does not enjoy different types of movement, such as being swung
- Seems fearful of everyday sounds
- Is not interested in interacting with others
- Does not maintain eye contact during playful interaction
- Unresponsive to sounds or voices
- Does not babble
- Does not respond to own name
- Unable to latch on while nursing or bottle feeding
10 to 12 Months
- Unable to speak first word
- Sits with weight to one side
- Only uses arms to pull up to standing
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- Difficulty getting to stand because of stiff legs
- Strongly flexed or stiffly extended arms
- Needs to use hands to maintain sitting position
- Poor head control in upright position
- Becomes fussy in response to movement
- Extreme reactions to touch or when exposed to new textures
- Does not turn when someone calls their name
- Shows no recognition of familiar words, such as “mama”, “dada”, or “doggy”
- Does not use fingertips to pick up small objects of food
- Baby rejects solid foods, preferring only milk
13 - 18 Months
- Walks on toes
- Doesn’t pull to stand
- Doesn’t babble
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- Can’t crawl to climb stairs
- Unable to speak ~20 words by 14 months
- Unable to take steps independently
- Poor standing balance, falls frequently
- Doesn’t use pincer grasp (thumb and forefinger) to hold small objects
- Overly sensitive or completely unaware of stimuli like loud noises
- Doesn’t enjoy being cuddled or touched by parents
- Becomes upset when dealing with certain textures
- Shows unusual level of fear whenever feet are lifted off of the ground
- Doesn’t hold eye contact
- Doesn’t respond when name is called
- Doesn’t make any attempts to communicate
19 to 24 Months
- Mouthing objects
- Displays a tremor
- 20 words by 19 months
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- 50 words or more by 24 months
- No spontaneous vocalisation
- Very uncoordinated and often clumsy
- Unable to understand and respond to simple requests
- Does not show any emotion
- Cannot respond with "yes" or "no"
- Cannot reply to simple requests
- Cannot recognise own self in the mirror
- Does not respond to own name
Not sure how to start?
No worries, use the free online test for an initial check. After submitting your result our therapist will reach out for an informal discussion to find out more details and advise what is the recommended next Step
