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 |
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