Gross Motor Skills Delays In Children: Causes And How Physical Therapy Can Help

Think about all the ways you move throughout the day — going for a walk, running, dancing, riding a bike, or playing sports like basketball, soccer, or tennis.

All of these activities rely on gross motor skills, which involve using the large muscles in the arms, legs, and core to move through the world.

These skills begin developing very early in life and form the foundation for balance, coordination, and strength.

For most children, these skills develop gradually as they learn to roll, crawl, sit, stand, and walk.

But when a child isn’t progressing at the expected pace, it can raise concerns for parents.

It’s important to remember that every child develops differently, and being a little behind on a milestone isn’t always a cause for worry.

However, if your child is significantly delayed or not making steady progress, it may indicate a gross motor skills developmental delay.

In these cases, support from pediatric physical therapy and, in some situations, pediatric occupational therapy, can help children build the strength and coordination they need to move confidently.

Gross motor challenges can also affect other areas of development, including fine motor skills and even communication, which is why some children benefit from a team-based approach that may include speech therapy as well.

In this article, we’ll explore what gross motor skills are, what can cause delays in their development, and how pediatric therapy can support your child in reaching important movement milestones — one step, jump, and climb at a time.

What Are Gross Motor Skills?

Gross motor skills are the movements your child makes using large parts of their body, including the arms, legs, and torso.

Unlike fine motor skills, which involve smaller movements such as grasping a pencil or using utensils, gross motor skills support whole-body movement.

These movements use your child’s entire body and allow them to do many different physical activities like walking, running, jumping, and bending over.

Gross motor skills also affect your child’s balance, and a solid base of gross motor skills can help your child develop their fine motor skills like handwriting.

Strength, reaction time, coordination, and awareness of your body’s placement are all benefits of gross motor skill development.

RELATED ARTICLE: How To Teach Your Child To Walk

What Is A Gross Motor Skills Developmental Delay?

A developmental delay is when a child isn’t achieving certain developmental skills at the rate you’d typically expect.

Children with physical developmental delays often face challenges with their gross motor skills.

A 2020 study by Veldman Et Al. found that approximately 9% of children are at risk for gross motor skill delay.

Therefore, it’s a good idea to monitor your child’s developmental progress and seek early intervention if you suspect they might be experiencing a delay.

These delays often become noticeable when a child begins missing expected physical milestones.

Looking at typical pediatric developmental milestones can help you understand whether your child may be developing at a different pace.

For instance, developmental milestones tell us that most children can push up during tummy time by the time they’re around two months old.

Additionally, you can expect that your baby will learn how to roll by four months of age.

Keeping track of these physical development milestones is important to make sure your child’s development is keeping pace.

What Causes Gross Motor Skills Developmental Delays?

There isn’t a single factor that causes gross motor skills developmental delays.

It’s also important to know that a gross motor delay doesn’t automatically mean a serious diagnosis.

However, certain conditions can increase your child’s likelihood of experiencing gross motor skill delays.

When difficulties start early in childhood, it often signifies a developmental disorder.

This could be anything from developmental coordination disorder (dyspraxia) to a simple delay.

Below you’ll find a few things that commonly occur with a gross motor skill developmental delay.

If your child has a developmental delay, it’s a good idea to book an appointment with a pediatric physical therapist as soon as possible.

Early intervention physical therapy is often more effective than taking a wait-and-see approach.

1. Down Syndrome

Down syndrome is a congenital disorder that causes an extra chromosome.

It has physical characteristics that can lead to trouble with gross motor skills development.

According to a 2021 study by Jain Et Al., children with Down syndrome commonly exhibit gross motor delays, particularly with skills such as reaching, sitting, crawling, and walking.

RELATED ARTICLE: Why Is Crawling Important?

People with Down syndrome often have low muscle tone, which causes their resting muscle to grow longer than usual, resulting in weakness.

If your child has Down syndrome, their developmental milestones for gross motor skills will be different, as it will take them more effort to build up the strength necessary to learn them.

You can test for Down syndrome during pregnancy or just after birth.

If your child has Down syndrome, it’s a good idea to consult with a pediatric physical therapist.

2. Autism Spectrum Disorder

It’s not uncommon for autistic children to have some sort of motor difficulty.

If your child is autistic and appears clumsy, uncoordinated, or walks on their toes, they may have a delay with their gross motor skills development.

In some cases, physical therapists may notice early motor differences as early as one month of age.

They typically become more apparent as your child gets older and hits their developmental milestones later than usual.

If you have an autistic child showing developmental delays, a physical therapist experienced in supporting autistic children can help.

3. ADD/ADHD

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is another common cause for motor skill delay.

If your child has ADHD, they may have trouble with their balance and other gross motor skills.

This can affect overall fitness and may cause a child to feel left out if they struggle to keep pace with activities their friends and peers enjoy.

Occupational therapy can help treat ADHD related gross motor skills delays.

4. Hypotonia

If your child has hypotonia, they have lower than average muscle tone.

This can cause them to have limbs that seem limp, which is where this condition gets its more common name, “floppy baby syndrome”.

This weakness in muscle tone can cause gross motor skills delays.

Pediatric physical therapy can help children with hypotonia build strength, improve muscle control, and develop the gross motor skills needed for everyday movement.

5. Other Causes

While being able to point to a specific cause of a gross motor skills delay can feel reassuring, there’s not always an obvious explanation.

Sometimes your child is simply not hitting certain developmental milestones, without an obvious underlying reason.

This can be frustrating and confusing for parents.

Physical therapists refer to this experience as an idiopathic developmental delay.

Regardless of the cause of your child’s gross motor skills delays, however, a pediatric therapist can help.

How Can A Pediatric Physical Therapist Help With Gross Skills Delays?

Your pediatric physical therapist will work with you and your child to evaluate their unique needs.

By identifying your child’s strengths and challenges, your pediatric physical therapist will design a personalized plan with your input.

This plan focuses on improving gross motor skills while fitting into your family’s daily routines and lifestyle.

Your physical therapist will focus on one skill at a time, helping your child gradually build up their strength and confidence.

You’ll learn activities and games to help support them in their development while making it fun.

With proper support, your child can safely learn how to navigate and improve their gross motor skills.

This can help them develop into confident, independent adults.

If you’re feeling unsure about your child’s development, you don’t have to navigate it alone.

Book Your Appointment With Our Pediatric Therapy Clinic Today

If your child is struggling with gross motor skill development, early intervention can make a world of difference.

At Little Feet Therapy, our team of therapists is experienced in identifying developmental delays and creating fun, play-based, movement-focused treatment plans to help your child reach their milestones.

Whether your child has a known diagnosis like Down syndrome or ADHD — or simply needs extra support catching up — we’re here to help.

Through personalized therapy, we’ll work to build their coordination, strength, balance, and confidence — one step at a time.

Book your appointment with Little Feet Therapy today and support your child’s growth from the ground up.