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Every parent watches their child for signs that everything is "on track." But development isn't a straight line — it comes in bursts, plateaus, and the occasional dramatic regression that can leave you wondering what happened to your easy baby. Understanding what's typical at each age, and recognising the genuine red flags, takes a lot of the guesswork and anxiety out of parenting. This guide walks through the key developmental stages from infancy to the early school years, w

If you’ve ever found yourself translating for your child — stepping in because someone else couldn’t understand them — you’re not alone. Unclear speech is one of the most common concerns parents raise with speech therapists, and it’s natural to wonder: Is this normal? Should I be worried?

You’ve noticed something. Maybe your child isn’t responding to their name the way other children do. Maybe they have lots of words but rarely use them to connect with you. Or perhaps they’ve lost some words they used to say. Something feels different — and you’re not sure what to make of it. If you have been wondering whether your child might have autism spectrum disorder (ASD), this article is for you.

Imagine meeting your occupational therapist for the first time, and they ask what they can help you with. Your mind races through a few examples, and you pick one that worries you. Your child has difficulties focusing on their homework - so homework is either not completed or it takes an unsustainable amount of time, energy and emotions to get it done. Thus, you tell the occupational therapist “I would like to see my child complete their homework quietly before dinner.”

Individual therapy is often the preferred and initial approach for children and families, as it allows for therapy to be customised to meet your child’s unique needs and abilities. This one-on-one setting provides essential scaffolded support, helping your child master new, complex skills independently, while also offering personalised coaching and guidance for parents. However, it is essential for children to apply these learned skills in real-world situations.

As revealed in the Youth Epidemiology and Resilience study (YEAR) by NUHS, adolescents in Singapore tend to experience an increasing volume of stress and anxiety as they grow older due to academic expectations and other circumstances. To keep these mental health symptoms at bay, resilience serves as a buffer to help protect their well-being. The study especially emphasised the significance of good parenting in building resilience and maintaining children’s mental health.

Language and communication is a beautiful gift to building close bonds with your little one. While all children develop at their own unique pace, some may continue to have difficulties learning how to communicate. As a result, some children may display behaviour challenges because they are frustrated at not being able to express their needs effectively.

How a simple drink order can become a moment of growth-and small steps you can take together. Have you ever noticed your child freezing up when asked to order their own food, speak to a shop assistant, or greet a family friend? Tasks that seem simple to adults can feel overwhelming for a child experiencing social anxiety. Social anxiety goes beyond being shy - it is a persistent fear of being judged or embarrassed in social situations.

The ability to follow instructions is one key way that we track a child's understanding skills in the early years. This is because being able to follow instructions shows that a child is able to understand the vocabulary used and process more language. You likely give your child instructions all the time during daily routines and this also helps to build their confidence and often results in more fun for everyone!

We use our sensory processing skills everyday and every moment! Sensory integration and processing takes place in our brain; we seek sensations and use these inputs to perform our daily tasks. Adults seek sensory input to maintain attention and regulation all the time; coffee breaks are super helpful on a workday afternoon and a rocking chair might help you focus on reading. We need an integrated sensory processing system to function everyday! Lets try to understand

A child's understanding of speech, sometimes also referred to "receptive language", refers to a child’s ability to understand and comprehend what they hear. Typically, young children are able to understand more than they are able to express. Hence, it is important to build their understanding skills so as to support the development of their talking skills.

Screen time is defined as the time spent on various electronic devices (such as computers, tablets, smartphones, or watching TV or video or hand-held computer games) (HealthHub SG, 2022). While it is tempting for parents to resort to electronic devices to provide convenience and entertainment for their children, excessive screen time can hinder crucial aspects of a child’s development.

As the name suggests, animal-assisted therapy is done when an animal is brought in to help facilitate goals attainment in a therapy session. In Singapore’s context, the animal is most likely the human’s best friend - a dog!

Bullying is a very huge concern for parents and schools. According to research, 1 out of 4 students have been bullied before, and about 12 per cent have experienced cyberbullying (Khong et al., 2018).

Imagine yourself learning to drive a car in a car racing arcade machine. After you earn a high score, you are immediately given a driver’s license and put on the road and in a real car. How do you think you will do? Fortunately, you and I know that that’s not how we are going to get our driver’s license. But are you aware that that’s how therapy in a clinical setting can sometimes feel like?

In our previous article, we talked about what Sensory Processing Disorder looked like. Our Occupational Therapists at Little Marvels are able to diagnose and treat Sensory Integration disorders in the therapy gym while working closely with families. Occupational Therapists look at various sensory systems and assess how the brain process these inputs for function.