Early Warning Signs

Parents with questions or concerns regarding their child's development are urged to contact the Early Intervention Office at 484-237-5150 or e-mail Sharyn Ball,

Your child may have trouble SEEING if he or she:

• is often unable to locate and pick up small objects,
• frequently rubs his or her eyes or complains that they hurt,
• holds his or her head in a strained or awkward position (tilts head to either side - thrusts head forward or backward) when trying to look at a particular person or object.

Your child may have trouble TALKING if she or he:

• cannot say "mama" and "dada" by age 1,
• cannot say the names of a few toys and people by age 2,
• is not talking in three or four word sentences by age 3,
• is not understood by people outside the family by age 4,
• does not make up a short story and tell it by age 5.

Your child may have trouble PLAYING if he or she:

• does not play games such as "peek-a-boo" and "pat-a-cake" or wave "bye-bye" by age 1,
• does not imitate parents doing routine household chores by age 2 to 3,
• does not enjoy playing alone with toys, pots and pans by age 3,
• does not play group games such as hide-and-seek, tag or ball with other children by age 4,
• does not share and take turns by age 5.

Your child may have trouble THINKING if she or he:

• does not react to his/her name when called by age 1,
• is unable to identify hair, eyes, ears, nose and mouth by pointing to them by age 2,
• does not understand simple stories by age 3,
• does not give reasonable answers to such questions as "What do you do when you are sleepy?" or "What do you do when you are hungry?" by age 4,
• does not understand the meaning of the words "today," "tomorrow," "yesterday" by age 5.

Your child may have trouble HEARING if he or she:

• does not turn to face the source of strange sounds or voices by six months of age,
• talks in a very loud or very soft voice,
• does not respond if you call from another room,
• turns the same ear toward a sound he or she wishes to hear.

Your child may have trouble MOVING if she or he:

• is unable to sit up without support by age 1,
• cannot walk without help by age 2,
• does not walk up and down steps by age 3,
• is unable to balance on one foot for a short time by age 4,
• cannot throw a ball overhand and catch a large ball bounced by age 5.

Referral for Screening and/or Evaluation

If you are a resident of Chester County, Pennsylvania and you believe that your child may have a developmental delay, please contact the CCIU Early Intervention Program on-line or by phone.

To e-mail a referral, click here: On-line Referral

To make a referral by phone call: 484-237-5150 or 484-237-5183.