Developmental Red Flags 3 to 4 Years
Gross Motor Development
Child is not meeting developmental milestones |
Child walks funny |
Child walks on his/her toes all the time |
Child is excessively clumsy |
Something appears wrong with child’s legs and/or feet |
Child complains of persistent pain or fatigue |
Child’s skills are regressing |
Fine Motor Development
His movements seem shaky or stiff |
Her arms and hands seem very weak |
She is not able to cut across a piece of paper with scissors |
He cannot copy a cross (+) |
She is not able to draw a circle and straight lines by herself |
She cannot string ½ inch beads onto a lace |
He cannot use a fork and spoon well |
She is not able to put on her own pants, loose socks and shoes |
Eating & Drinking Development
Regular coughing or choking during eating |
Taking a really long time to eat a meal (more than 30-45 minutes) |
Getting sick often with pneumonia or chest infections – |
Gurgly, hoarse, or breathy voice after eating |
Less than normal weight gain or growth |
Lots of leakage of food or liquid from the mouth |
Coughing, gagging, or throwing up during or after meals |
Stuffing mouth with food |
Holding food inside pockets in mouth for long periods |
Difficulty accepting new textures of food |
Avoidance behaviours to specific foods and textures (gagging, vomiting, blocking the spoon with hands or closed lips, crying, pushing food away, etc.) |
Refusing to eat more than a few foods, or refusing to eat anything from one of the food groups |
Being extremely rigid about how food is prepared or how it is served |
Abnormal bowel movements that last longer than a few days (diarrhea, constipation, loose stool) |
Skin reactions to foods (dry patches, hives, rashes) Note: If your child seems to be having a severe allergic reaction to a food (difficulty breathing, turning red, developing hives or rash on the face/chest), you should seek medical help immediately |
Communication Development
Little interest in talking to adults or children |
Sentences are not growing in length or complexity |
Poor sorting or matching skills |
Difficulty answering questions: what, what-doing, where |
Not asking who, what, or where questions |
Not easily understood by family members or familiar people in their life |
Social & Emotional Development (playing with others, controlling emotions)
He is not able to initiate or join in play with other children |
She is not able to share at all with other children |
She wants to be dependent on her caregivers for everything |
He is extremely “rigid” about routines, and becomes extremely upset when things are changed |
She has extreme difficulty separating from you |
He is too passive or fearful, and does not want to try things other children his age are doing |
She has extreme fears that interfere with daily activities |
Understanding and Thinking Development
He is not able to recognize and point to at least 3 colours or shapes |
She is not interested in pretend play |
She constantly moves from one activity to another and is not able to stay with an activity for brief periods |
He is not able to sort objects by their characteristics (e.g. colour, size, shape, etc) |
She is not able to complete a simple 4-6 piece interlocking puzzle |