| Developmental Red Flags!!! |
| What are Red Flags? Red flags are behaviors that should warn you to stop, look, and think. Having done so, you may decide that there is nothing to worry about, or that a cluster of behaviors signals a possible problem. These guidelines will help you use red flags more effectively.
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| SOCIAL EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT (relationships, focusing, anxiety level, separations, affect (mood), impulse control, involvement, self-image, transitions) Red flags to watch for:
How to observe and screen: 1. Observe child. ~Note overall behavior. What does the child do all day? With whom? With what does the child play? ~Note when, where, how frequently, and with whom problem behaviors occur. ~Describe behavior through clear observations. Do not diagnose. 2. Note family history. ~Make-up of a family: Who cares for the child? ~Has there been a recent move, death, new sibling, or long or traumatic separation? ~What support does the family have -- extended family, friends? 3. Note developmental history and child's temperament since infancy. ~activity level ~regularity of child's routine -- sleeping, eating ~distractibility ~intensity of child's responses ~persistence/ attention span ~positive or negative mood ~adaptability to changes in routine ~level of sensitivity to noise, light, touch |
| MOTOR DEVELOPMENT -- FINE MOTOR, GROSS MOTOR, and PERCEPTUAL (quality of movement, sensory integration, level of development) Red Flags to Watch Out For:
~Trips, bumps into things ~Is awkward getting down/up, climbing, jumping, getting around toys and people ~Stands out from the group in structured motor tasks -- walking, climbing stairs, jumping, standing on one foot ~Avoids the more physical games
~ uses tongue, feet, or other body part excessively to help in coloring, cutting, tracing, or with other high-concentration tasks ~produces extremely heavy coloring ~leans over the table when concentrating on a fine motor project ~when doing wheelbarrows, keeps pulling the knees and feet under the body, or thrusts rump up into the air
~does chronic toe walking ~shows twirling or rocking movements ~shakes hands or taps fingers
~avoids activities that require touching or close contact ~may be uncomfortable laying down, especially on the back ~reacts as if attacked when unexpectedly bumped ~blinks, protects self from ball, even trying to catch it
~cling to, or lightly brush, the teacher a lot ~always sit close to, or touch, children in a circle ~be strongly attached to sensory experiences, such as blankets, soft toys, water, dirt, sand, paste, hands in food
~an older child who can still only snip with scissors or whose cutting is extremely choppy ~an older child who still cannot color within the lines on a simple project ~an older child who frequently switches hands with crayons, scissors, paintbrush ~an experienced child who tries but still gets paste, paint, sand, water everywhere ~a child who is very awkward with, or chronically avoids, small manipulative materials
~take much longer to do the task, even when trying hard, and produce a final result that is still not as sophisticated compared to those of peers ~show a lot of trial and error behavior when trying to do a puzzle ~mix up top/bottom, left/right, front/back, on simple projects where a model is to be copied ~use blocks or small cubes to repeatedly build and crash tower structures and seems fascinated and genuinely delighted with the novelty of the crash (for an older child) ~still does a lot of scribbling (older child) HOW TO SCREEN -- Note the level and quality as compared with other children in the group. |
| SPEECH AND LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT, which includes: ~~articulation (pronouncing words) ~~dysfluency (excessive stuttering -- occasional stuttering may occur in the early years and is normal) ~~voice ~~language (ability to use and understand words) Red Flags to Watch Out For: Articulation. Watch for the child: ~whose speech is difficult to understand, compared to peers ~who mispronounces sounds ~whose mouth seems abnormal (excessive under- or overbite; swallowing difficulty, poorly lined-up teeth) ~who has difficulty putting words and sounds in proper sequence ~who cannot be encouraged to produce age-appropriate sound ~who has a history of ear infections or middle ear disorders NOTE: Most children develop the following sounds correctly by the ages shown (i.e., don't worry about a 3-year-old who mispronounces t) 2 years -- all vowel sounds 3 years -- p, b, m, w, h 4 years -- t, d, n, k, h, ng 5 years -- f, j, sh 6 years -- ch, v, r, l 7 years -- s, z, voiceless or voiced th Dysfluency (stuttering). Note the child who, compared with others of the same age, shows excessive amounts of these behaviors: ~repetitions of sounds, words (m-m-m; I-I-I-I-) ~prolongations of sounds (mmmmmmmmmmmmmm) ~hesitations or long blocks during speech, usually accompanied by tension or struggle behavior ~putting in extra words (um, uh, well) Shows two or more of these behaviors while speaking: ~hand clinching ~eye blinking ~swaying of body ~pill rolling with fingers ~no eye contact ~body tension or struggle ~breathing irregularity ~tremors ~pitch rise ~frustration ~avoidance of talking Is labeled a stutterer by parents Is aware of her or his dysfluencies Voice. Note the child whose ~rate of speech is extremely fast or slow ~voice is breathy or hoarse ~voice is very loud or soft ~voice is very high or low ~voice sounds very nasal Language (ability to use and understand words.) Note the child who ~does not appear to understand when others speak, though hearing is normal ~is unable to follow one- or two-step directions ~communicates by pointing, gesturing ~makes no attempt to communicate with words ~has small vocabulary for age ~uses parrotlike speech (imitates what others say) ~has difficulty putting words together in a sentence ~uses words inaccurately ~demonstrates difficulty with three or more of these skills: *making a word plural *changing tenses of a verb *using pronouns *using possessives *naming common objects *telling function of common objects *using prepositions NOTE: Two-year-olds use mostly nouns, few verbs. Three-year-olds use nouns, verbs, some adverbs, adjectives, prepositions. Four-year-olds use all parts of speech. HOW TO SCREEN: ~Observe child. Note when, where, how frequently, and with whom problems occur. ~Check developmental history -- both heredity and environment play an important part in speech development. ~Look at motor development, which is closely associated with speech. ~Look at social-emotional status, which can affect speech and language. ~Write down or record speech samples. ~Check hearing status ~Note number of speech sounds or uses of language. |
| HEARING Even a mild or temporary hearing loss in a child may interfere with speech, language, or social and academic progress. If more than one of these red flag behaviours is observed, it is likely that a problem exists. RED FLAGS ~Speech and Language. Look for the child *whose speech is not easily understood by others outside the family *whose grammar is less accurate than other children of the same age *who does not use speech as much as other children of the same age *who has an unusual voice (hoarseness, stuffy quality, lack of inflection, or voice that is too loud or too soft) ~Social Behaviour (at home and in school). Look for the child who *is shy or hesitant in answering questions or joining in conversation *misunderstands questions or directions; frequently says, "huh?" or "what?" in response to questions *appears to ignore speech; hears "only what he wants to" *is unusually attentive to speaker's face or unusually inattentive to speaker, or turns one ear to speaker *has difficulty with listening activities such as storytime and following directions *has a short attention span *is distractible and restless; tends to shift quickly from one activity to another *is generally lethargic or disinterested in most day-to-day activities *is considered a behaviour problem -- too active or aggressive, or too quiet and withdrawn ~Medical indications. Look for the child who *has frequent or constant upper respiratory tract infections, congestion that appears related to allergies, or a cold for several weeks or months *has frequent earaches, ear infections, throat infections, or middle ear problems *has had draining ears on one or more occasions *is a mouth breather and a snorer *is generally lethargic; has poor color HOW TO SCREEN: 1. Observe current behaviour related to speech and hearing. 2. Consult behavioural and medical history. 3. Consult audiologist or communication disorders specialist. |
| VISION, WHICH INCLUDES SKILLS; ACUITY (ability to see at a given distance); DISEASE RED FLAGS EYES ~are watery ~have discharge ~lack coordination in directing gaze of both eyes ~are red ~are sensitive to light ~appear to cross or wander, especially when the child is tired EYELIDS ~have crusts on lids or among lashes ~are red ~have recurring sties or swelling BEHAVIOUR and COMPLAINTS ~rubs eyes excessively ~experiences dizziness, headaches, nausea on close work ~attempts to brush away blur ~has itchy, burning, scratchy eyes ~contorts face or body when looking at distant objects, or thrusts head forward, squints or widens eyes ~blinks eyes excessively; holds book too close or too far; inattentive during visual tasks ~shuts or covers one eye; tilts head HOW TO SCREEN: 1. Has child had an eye exam? If not, recommend one. 2. Screen using a screening tool appropriate for young children, such as the Snellen E chart or Broken Wheel cards. |
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