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Recognizing Developmental Delays in Your Child: Ages 3 to 5

As you watch your child grow, keep in mind that each child develops at his or her own pace and that the range of normal is quite wide. However, it is helpful to be able to recognize signs of potential developmental delays in one or more areas of emotional, mental, or physical growth.

If you wonder whether your child is experiencing a delay, don't wait to find out. See your child's doctor right away. Early intervention is the best way to help him or her make progress. Unfortunately, fewer than half of all children with developmental delays are identified before starting school.

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What Are Developmental Delays in Children?

There are many different types of developmental delays in children. They might have problems in the areas of:

Language or speech
Movement, or motor skills
Emotional and social skills
Thinking, or cognitive skills

Here are warning signs for different types of delays that may show up from ages 3 to 5, as well as some of the causes of developmental delays and their potential types of treatment.

Language and Speech Delays in Children

Language and speech problems are the most common type of developmental delay. Speech refers to verbal expression, including the way words are formed. Language is a broader system of expressing and receiving information, such as being able to understand directions.

Possible causes. A wide variety of problems may cause these language and speech delays, including:

Exposure to more than one language.
A learning disability.
Hearing loss: Hearing may change often in children who have recurrent middle ear infections.
Autism, a disorder that impairs social interaction, or other similar disorders.

Types of treatment. If you or child's doctor suspects a developmental delay, seek an evaluation by a speech-language pathologist. This specialist may use speech therapy with your child. The specialist or doctor may also suggest that you:

Communicate more with your child; talk, sing, encourage repetition.
Read daily to your child.
Reinforce speech and language throughout the day.
Get treatment for middle ear infections.

Warning signs of speech or language delays

Contact your child's doctor if your child has any of these signs at these ages. In addition to these red flags, watch for any loss of skills already learned.

By 3 years

Your child cannot talk in short phrases.

By 4 years

Doesn't use sentences of more than three words.
Uses "me" and "you" incorrectly.

By 5 years

Has trouble understanding two-part commands with prepositions ("under" or "on").
Cannot give first and last name.
Doesn't use plurals or past tense the right way.
Does not talk about daily activities.