In France, identifying neurodevelopmental disorders is based on a simple principle: do not wait. The French National Authority for Health recommends identifying warning signs from the first year of life and referring the child without waiting for a complete diagnosis. Since 2019, a national system—the coordination and referral platforms—has made it possible to begin funded early support. Here is what this pathway involves and what parents can observe themselves.
What do neurodevelopmental disorders encompass?
The term covers several distinct conditions that emerge during a child’s development. These include autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit disorder, specific learning disorders, intellectual developmental disorder, and motor developmental disorders.
These conditions are common. According to the official assessment of the national strategy published in April 2026, attention-deficit disorder alone is estimated to affect around 5% of children in France. This represents more than two million people across all age groups.
One point should be made clear. Identifying a concern is not the same as making a diagnosis. A warning sign warrants an examination, not a conclusion. Many children who are flagged will ultimately receive no diagnosis.
What the HAS recommends for identification
The French National Authority for Health published a recommendation in March 2020 dedicated to identifying and referring children at risk, from birth to age 7. It remains the reference document.
Two levels of vigilance
The recommendation distinguishes between children at high risk and children at moderate risk. This distinction determines who follows the child and how often.
High-risk factors are listed precisely. They include extreme prematurity before 32 weeks, intrauterine growth restriction, hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, and a perinatal stroke. Other factors include certain brain abnormalities, a family history of severe disorder, and prenatal exposure to valproate or alcohol.
Moderate-risk factors include moderate or late prematurity, grade 1 encephalopathy, prenatal exposure to psychoactive substances, or neonatal septic shock.
Targeted observation appointments
For children at risk, the HAS recommends standardized assessments at specific ages: 9 months, 18 months, 24 months, between 30 and 36 months, and then between 4 and 5 years. For children born prematurely, corrected age is used until age 2.
These appointments fit into the existing schedule. Of the twenty mandatory medical examinations during childhood and adolescence, fourteen take place between birth and age 3. Monitoring development is central to these examinations.
The identification checklist
The HAS provides a tool entitled “Identifying unusual development in children under 7.” It covers five areas: motor skills, language, social engagement, behavior control, and working memory.
One point in the recommendation deserves emphasis. Parents’ expressed concern is itself a warning sign, regardless of the child’s age. It should not be minimized.
What are the warning signs before age 3?
No single sign is enough to draw any conclusion. Persistent signs, several signs occurring together, or the loss of an acquired skill are what warrant medical advice.
- Motor skills. No head control after 4 months. No rolling over by 8 months. No independent movement by 12 months. Clear and persistent asymmetry in the use of the limbs.
- Language. No babbling by 12 months. No words by 18 months. No combination of two words by 24 months.
- Social engagement. No responsive smile. No pointing by 18 months. Persistent avoidance of eye contact.
- Regression. Loss of language, eye contact, or an already established motor skill, at any age.
Typical developmental milestones are detailed in our articles on fine and gross motor skills from 0 to 3 years and on language development from 0 to 3 years.
Who should you contact first?
The doctor who follows the child is the first point of contact. This may be a general practitioner, pediatrician, or maternal and child health doctor. This professional carries out the initial screening and, when appropriate, initiates the referral.
For children at high risk, the HAS provides for a specialized neurodevelopmental consultation. It is arranged even before discharge from the maternity or neonatal unit.
How do the coordination and referral platforms work?
Established from 2019 onward, the coordination and referral platforms are the main new feature of the French system. Their specific objective is to enable support to begin even before a diagnosis has been made.
The doctor refers the child to the platform serving their area. The platform coordinates a pathway of assessments and interventions with independent professionals: psychomotor therapist, occupational therapist, and psychologist. These sessions are normally not reimbursed by the French health insurance system. The early intervention package covers them for one year and can be renewed once.
The official assessment published in April 2026 shows the scale of the system. There are 182 platforms operating across the country, including 73 dedicated to children aged 7–12. Since their creation, 186,193 children have been identified. Of these, 145,033 children aged 0–6 were referred to a platform. In 2025, 110,897 children benefited from a package.
The same assessment also highlights persistent structural difficulties. The availability of professionals and access times vary widely between regions. Access remains unequal from one department to another.
Why does early intervention make a difference?
The rationale lies in brain plasticity. The early years are the period when the brain reorganizes most rapidly in response to experience. This is the reasoning behind the first thousand days policy, discussed in our article on brain development during the first thousand days.
It is important to remain measured about what this means. Early intervention improves developmental trajectories: this is a strong professional consensus. It does not eliminate the disorder, and the extent of the benefit varies considerably from one situation to another.
What parents can do every day
Identification is the role of professionals. Observation, however, begins with parents, who see their child in every area of daily life.
Three simple habits can provide practical help. Note observations over the months rather than trying to reconstruct everything during an appointment. Mention anything that raises questions without waiting for the next appointment. And give the child time to move freely on the floor, where their spontaneous movements can be observed without prompting.
This last point connects with the approach described in our article on free movement and its everyday application. A clear floor and firm surface reveal things that a baby bouncer can conceal. Our practical guidance on play mats and physical development complements this approach.
No equipment replaces medical advice. The goal is simply to create the right conditions for observation.
Key takeaways
The identification of neurodevelopmental disorders is organized around three pillars: a schedule of mandatory examinations, an observation checklist validated by the HAS, and a network of regional platforms. The system is expanding, with more than 186,000 children identified since 2019.
Two messages stand out. Parents’ concerns should be voiced rather than postponed. And identifying a sign is not the same as making a diagnosis.
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Sources
- French National Authority for Health, “Neurodevelopmental disorders: identification and referral of children at risk,” good-practice recommendation, published March 17, 2020.
- French National Authority for Health, “Identifying unusual development in children under 7,” tool, 2020.
- Interministerial Delegation for the National Strategy for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, “2025–2026 Assessment of the 2023–2027 National Strategy,” published April 2026.
- French Health Insurance, “The 20 medical follow-up examinations for children and adolescents,” accessed August 2026.
