Has my child got a development delay?

Developmental delay is a term used when a child is taking longer to reach milestones compared to other children their age

It can be difficult to know what your child should be doing at every stage. It can cause unnecessary anxiety to have unrealistic expectations of what your child should be doing.

The information on this page provides information on age-related expectations in the early years.

What should I be expecting?

You may find it useful to look at some of the information around age-related expectations in the early years. This will help you understand that all children develop differently, and what is expected at any given age can vary between individuals. 

How do I know if my child has delays in their development?

Professionals such as health visitors often use assessments to help identify if a child has a developmental delay. These online tools may help you know if you need to ask for more help for your child. You can talk to your child's nursery or childminder, or to your health visitor, to ask if your child is meeting age-related expectations or if they have a delay. You should also make sure you check your child's hearing and vision.

If you believe your child has a developmental delay, and you have read and tried our recommended approaches, you may need to seek more advice. SEND can appear complicated if you are new to it; the next pages are designed to help guide you to the right support for your child.

Supporting your child’s development

Additional advice and support

Support available if my child attends a nursery

Support available if my child does not attend a nursery

Information on available funding

More information is available on the parent toolkit