Red Flags — - Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit

SPECIAL NEEDS
INTELLECTUAL & DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES
Intellectual and developmental disabilities (mental retardation) refers to a range of cognitive, social/
emotional, adaptive and motor delays or impairments. These deficits often impact on the child’s ability
to communicate, learn, interpret and respond to social cues. The child may also exhibit challenging
behaviour (self-injury, aggression, destruction) associated with frustration from the latter deficits.
If the child presents any of the following behaviours, consider this a red flag:
Cognitive Concerns
►► Significant attention difficulties
►► Poor concentration, poorly focused and
organized
►► Is extremely restless and distractible
►► Memory impairments
►► Poor problem solving (planning, organizing
and initiating tasks)
►► Slow to process verbal information/slow to
understand what is said
►► Slow to process visual and non-verbal
information (e.g., gestures, signs, social cues)
►► Difficulty learning new tasks
►► Has difficulty following directions and/or
routines
►► Poorly developed basic concepts (e.g., colours,
shapes, body parts)
Social/Emotional/ Behavioural Concerns
►► Poorly developed play skills (for his age)
►► Awkward or absent greeting of others
►► Has very few friends/alienates other children
►► May be withdrawn/passive due to inability to
communicate
►► Has trouble interacting appropriately with
peers
►► Narrow range of interests that he engages in
►► Frequent tantrums, aggression, destruction or
self-injury due to frustration, lack of ability to
communicate, interruption/change in routine,
not getting what he wants, mind gets stuck
on one issue
►► May present with oppositional/defiant
behaviour due to inability to process
information - does not know what is expected
of him
►► Behaviour affecting ability to learn new things
►► Socially inappropriate behaviour (e.g., taking
another child’s food, stripping in public)
►► Poor/lack of ability to empathize (e.g., if
another child is crying)
Adaptive Concerns
►► Has delays in two or more age-appropriate
life skills domains (e.g., toileting, dressing,
feeding, face and hand washing)
►► Shows no age-appropriate awareness of
danger
Communications Concerns
►► Poor expressive communication (language,
gestures, signs)
►► Poor comprehension of language (words,
gestures, pictures)
Physical Concerns
►► Poorly developed fine motor skills (e.g.,
holding a pencil, picking up beads)
►► Poorly developed gross motor skills (e.g.,
awkward gait, poor coordination, poor
balance)
►► Seizures or frequent periods of blank staring
WHERE TO GO FOR HELP
See Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities in
the Where to Go for Help section at the back of
this document.
November 2007
Red Flags: Early Identification in Leeds, Grenville & Lanark
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