How Do I Know If My Child Is Developing Normally for Their Age?

Every child has their own pace; one may walk at ten months and another at fifteen months, and both are normal. Therefore, the most important question is not "Does my child resemble their peers?" but rather "Are they progressing within the expected range for their age across all domains?".

Look at the whole picture

Development is not limited to walking and talking. Monitor five domains together: communication, gross motor skills such as sitting and walking, fine motor skills such as grasping and drawing, problem solving, and social skills. A delay in one domain may go unnoticed if the child is advanced in others.

Signs that call for consulting a specialist:

• Does not babble or point to things by 12 months of age.
• Does not say single words by 16 months of age.
• Does not combine two words together by two years of age.
• Does not respond to their name, or rarely makes eye contact.
• Loses a previously acquired language or social skill, at any age.

Do not rely on impressions alone

Your daily observations are valuable, but comparing with relatives or the phrase "they will speak when they grow older" may delay discovering what requires intervention. The most accurate method is developmental screening using standardized tools such as the ASQ-3 scale, and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends conducting it at 9, 18, and 30 months of age, along with autism-specific screening at 18 and 24 months of age.

These tools were designed to be completed by the family themselves. You can answer the questions of an approved developmental scale from your mobile phone in minutes, and obtain a report clarifying the status of each skill: typical, in need of monitoring, or in need of a specialist evaluation.

For practitioners: Encourage families to seek routine screening, not only when concerned, as early detection changes the child's trajectory.

Originally published in Arabic. This English version was produced with AI-assisted translation; the Arabic original remains the reference.