What the survey says:
Through a parent-report tool designed to track how deceptive behaviors emerge in children from infancy through age 3, researchers found that many forms of simple deception, such as pretending not to hear, hiding things, denial, or making excuses, appeared much earlier than previously thought, with some parents reporting these behaviors as early as 8 to 10 months.
Across more than 700 children, the study found that deception develops gradually alongside social, language, and cognitive growth, and that most children demonstrated at least one deceptive behavior by around 2 years old. The researchers emphasize that these behaviors are a normal part of development and may reflect children learning social rules, testing boundaries, and developing early communication and self-regulation skills.
Sarah's take:
This is the kind of finding that can feel surprising, even unsettling. But a closer look points to something familiar to anyone who spends time with babies and toddlers: young children are constantly testing how the world works, especially when it comes to people.
In these early years, children are paying close attention to patterns. They notice what happens when they hide an object, avoid a request, or give an unexpected response. These moments are less about intent and more about experimentation. Children are gathering information about cause and effect in social situations.
Researchers also found that these behaviors become more varied over time, tracking alongside growth in language, memory, and social understanding. A toddler who shakes their head “no” after breaking a rule is working with a very different set of skills than a preschooler who can invent a more elaborate explanation. The developmental path matters.
For families and caregivers, this reframes what can otherwise feel like challenging behavior. A child who insists “I didn’t do it” or suddenly seems not to hear a request is engaging in a kind of problem-solving. They are trying out strategies to manage a situation, often in the simplest way available to them.
These moments also sit squarely in the context of relationships. Children learn how to communicate, respond, and repair through repeated interactions with the adults in their lives. The study points to connections between what children experience and what they come to understand, reinforcing what we already know, that development does not happen in isolation.
There is no single script for how to respond, and approaches will vary across families and cultures. Still, a few principles hold up across contexts. Staying calm helps keep the focus on learning. Naming what you observe can ground the interaction in reality. Inviting children into problem-solving builds skills they will use later.
For example, when a child denies eating the cookie, a response might sound like, “I see crumbs on your hands. Let’s clean up and figure out what happened.” This keeps the interaction anchored in connection rather than escalation.
Over time, these everyday exchanges shape how children understand honesty, trust, and responsibility. The goal is not to eliminate these behaviors, but to guide children through them in ways that support their growing awareness of others.
The headline may focus on early “deception.” The deeper takeaway is about development in motion. These small, often frustrating moments are part of how children learn to navigate a complex social world, one interaction at a time. And that is the real story worth paying attention to.
Rahil’s response:
The report clearly recognizes that healthy mental and emotional development is foundational to overall child health, not separate from it. That is core to the HealthySteps model, where support for a child’s social-emotional development begins from birth and is woven directly into pediatric primary care, alongside support for physical and cognitive development.
The report’s focus on prevention and early support is especially important. It is a common misconception that babies and toddlers are resilient, in part because they cannot clearly express how they are feeling. But decades of research tell us that this is actually the most important time to get it right, to put in place family supports that foster healthy development and set children up for success.
We also appreciate the report’s emphasis on identifying concerns along a continuum and on partnering closely with families—and that it cites HealthySteps as an example of a program that does so successfully. As a team-based approach, HealthySteps Specialists work alongside pediatric providers to talk with families about child development, behavior, parenting, and early learning during well-child visits and beyond, helping normalize conversations about emotional well-being from the very beginning. Parents often say that, with HealthySteps, they’re not alone.
It also means paying attention not only to more serious concerns, but to the very earliest signs, or “light pink flags,” that a child or family may need additional support. It means building trusted relationships with families over time, creating space for honest conversations, and connecting families with resources when needed.
Importantly, this kind of early, relationship-based support is not only better for children and families, it is also cost-effective. When families can access guidance, screening, and support early through team-based pediatric primary care, concerns can often be addressed before they become more serious and more expensive to treat later on.
Over the past three decades, HealthySteps has expanded to almost 400 pediatric practice sites across the country, reaching over half a million children and their families. That reach reflects a growing recognition that supporting children’s mental and emotional health early, through trusted relationships and everyday care and stronger systems that support them, helps improve outcomes for children and families—now and into the future.
A recent Seattle Times article focuses on the School House Connection report, 
Phil’s take:
