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
He is not able to cut along a straight line
She is not holding her crayons or pencils with her thumb and fingers
He is not able to draw a circle, square and cross (+) –
She is not able to put on her own shirts, pants, socks, and shoes (with some help with fasteners)
He is not able to feed himself well with a spoon and fork

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

Not easily understood by others
Difficulty putting sentences together
Lots of grammatical difficulties in their sentences
Difficulties with concepts such as prepositions (position words such as behind, beside, etc.) colours, size, categories.
Doesn’t ask questions
Doesn’t follow verbal directions

Social & Emotional Development (playing with others, controlling emotions)

He is not interested in playing with other children
She is not able to share or take turns 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

She is not able to name the basic colours and shapes
He does not understand the concept of past, present, and future
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 understand the rules of a basic game, such as Memory, Lotto, or other preschool games
She is not able to tell you basic facts about herself (full name, age, city she lives in, street name, etc.)
He is not able to count 5 objects
She does not recognize her name when she sees it printed