Developmental Red Flags 2 to 3 Years
Gross Motor Development
| Child is not meeting developmental milestones |
| 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 |
| His arms or hands seem very weak |
| He is still holding a crayon with a full fist |
| He is not able to hold scissors and snip on paper |
| He is not able to draw straight lines or circles |
| She cannot stack up several blocks |
Eating & Drinking Development (drinking from a cup, chewing & swallowing, picky eating)
| Arching or stiffening of the body during feeding |
| Coughing or choking during feeding |
| Being very irritable/fussy during or after feeding |
| Taking a really long time to feed (more than 30-45 minutes) |
| Frequent spitting up |
| Getting sick often with pneumonia or chest infections |
| Gurgly, hoarse, or breathy voice |
| 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) |
| 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
Between the ages of 2 to 2 ½
| Does not follow verbal instructions without needing gestures – |
| Does not add gestures to help get their meaning across when they have not been understood |
| Does not understand more complex sentences (When….then) |
| Frequently “echoes” words |
| Does not use at least 100 words |
| Is not saying some 2 and 3- word combinations |
| Language development seems “stuck” |
Between the ages of 2 ½ to 3 years
| Vocabulary does not seem to be growing |
| Not interested in talking with or playing with adults or other children |
| Don’t show any pretend play skills (e.g. feeding a doll) |
| Not putting words into 2-3 word sentences |
| Not matching colours or pictures |
| Cannot give their name when asked |
| Does not understand the concept of big / little |
| Does not use “no” to reject something or protest |
| Not using words to get an adult’s attention |
Social and Emotional Development (Identity)
| She is not interested in pretend play |
| She has extreme difficulty separating from you |
| He is not starting or responding to simple interactions with other children |
| She is showing abnormal aggression |
| He shows extreme fears that interfere with daily activities |
| She is extremely “rigid” about routines |
Understanding and Thinking Skills Development
| She is not interested in pretend play |
| He is not able to do basic categorization (e.g. “find all the toys”, “find all the clothes”) |
| He doesn’t understand the function of common objects ( e.g. find something you cut with) |
| He continues to mouth toys, or is only interested in feeling or watching toys instead of playing with them |
| She constantly moves from one activity to another and is not able to stay at an activity for brief periods |
| He needs constant attention to stay at an activity or finish something |