Each area is observed separately because a child can be much further along in one than another. The useful question is what changed in ordinary life, with how much support and at what cost to the child.
Communication
How the child gets a message across using speech, sounds, gesture, sign, pictures or AAC, and what the communication achieves.
Useful observations
- Whether the child initiated or responded
- The purpose: request, protest, comment, help or connection
- How much prompting was needed and who understood
Speech is not the only valid outcome. Effective communication in any reliable modality counts.
Understanding
What spoken language, routine cues, pictures and symbols mean to the child across familiar and less familiar situations.
Useful observations
- The exact instruction or cue
- Whether context, gesture or a picture carried the meaning
- Response time and the least help that worked
Not following an instruction does not prove refusal; the language, context or sensory load may be the barrier.
Social interaction & play
Shared attention, imitation, turn-taking, flexible play and engagement with familiar adults or other children.
Useful observations
- Who started the interaction
- How long shared engagement lasted
- Whether the child copied, took a turn or added an idea
Forced eye contact, still hands and performance for adults are not measures of social progress.
Motor & praxis
Large and small movements, coordination and the ability to plan a new action with the body for a functional purpose.
Useful observations
- The movement or task attempted
- Balance, grip, sequencing and assistance needed
- Pain, fatigue, equipment or environmental barriers
Difficulty can reflect motor planning or access, not motivation. Pain and regression need professional assessment.
Sensory & regulation
What the child seeks, avoids or misses, how overload develops and which environmental changes or supports help recovery.
Useful observations
- Sound, touch, movement, light, smell, taste or body signals
- What happened before overload
- The accommodation used and time needed to settle
Accommodation comes before teaching tolerance. Harmless self-regulation should not be suppressed.
Daily living
Participation and independence in dressing, toileting, washing, toothbrushing, eating, drinking, sleep and household routines.
Useful observations
- The exact task step completed
- The highest prompt or physical help needed
- Comfort, safety and whether the routine worked elsewhere
Pain, swallowing concerns, constipation or sudden loss of a self-care skill need qualified assessment.
Emotional support
Communication around distress, preparing for change, waiting, recovering safely and replacing behaviour with a workable way to ask.
Useful observations
- What happened before and after the difficult moment
- Sleep, illness, pain and sensory context
- Which communication or prevention support worked
Reducing visible behaviour is not enough. The child's need, safety and recovery remain the outcome.
Thinking & learning
Attention, memory, sorting, sequencing, cause and effect, problem-solving and applying a learned idea in a new situation.
Useful observations
- Whether the task was familiar or new
- What cue, model or structure supported success
- Whether the skill transferred to another person or setting
These observations support planning; they are not an IQ score or a substitute for formal assessment.