To help parents address those aspects of their child's development which may need special encouragement, support, or intervention, this digest delineates 11 categories of behavior for assessment. Parents should not be alarmed if their children are having difficulty in only a few categories, and they should not judge their children's permanent behavior based on 1 day's observation. The categories are: (1) sleeping habits; (2) eating habits; (3) toilet habits; (4) range of emotions; (5) friendship; (6) variations in play; (7) responses to authority; (8) curiosity; (9) interest; (10) spontaneous affection; and (11) enjoyment of the "good things in life." Concerning these categories, parents should ask whether their child usually falls asleep easily and wakes up rested; eats with appetite; has bowel and bladder control, especially during the day; shows the capacity for a range of emotions over a period of time; initiates and maintains satisfying relationships with peers; varies his or her play and adds different elements to the play; accepts adult authority; exhibits curiosity and adventure; becomes absorbed and interested in something outside him- or herself; expresses spontaneous affection for caregivers; and enjoys the pleasures of childhood. The first 3 of the 11 categories are particularly sensitive indicators of children's well-being because the child has control of them. The other criteria are more culture-bound. When children are having problems with some of these areas of development, they can sometimes be helped when adults simply spend more time with them, or when the children's daily routines are simplified. (BC)