How early is too early? When to see a professional

Many children show signs of a problems at a very young age. Sometimes a preschool teacher will notice something awry and alert the parents. By age five years, after being in preschool and kindergarten, their child may have already shown a pattern of behavior that seems different from his or her peers.

How long should a parent wait to seek guidance? Probably not at all. Life style patterns are established very early in life and the sooner one intervenes the better.

This rule of thumb applies to physical as well as mental health. A recent study reports that 30% of all obese pre-adolescent children are already identifiable by age 5 using only weight and height data. If we could screen the same age child for emotional and learning issues, we might be able to prevent equally serious problems later on.

It's something to think about.