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Motor
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Therapy & support
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Therapy & support
What a caregiver needs to know to keep a child with Gross Motor Delay safe and thriving
A child with gross motor delay thrives when the home is childproofed for their current stage rather than their age, given plenty of supervised floor and tummy-time play, and reviewed early by a physiotherapist. Developmental measurement supports care planning; diagnosis requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat a caregiver needs to know about hypotonia (low muscle tone)
Hypotonia means lower resting muscle tone, so a child may feel floppy, tire easily and reach motor milestones at their own pace. Caregivers keep a child safe and thriving by supporting the head and trunk well, watching feeding and breathing, and turning frequent short play into gentle strengthening — while a clinician identifies the cause and guides physiotherapy and occupational therapy.
Read the answer AnswerWhat a Caregiver Needs to Know: Motor Planning Difficulties
A child with motor planning difficulties knows what they want to do but struggles to sequence the steps. Caregivers keep them safe by making the home predictable and supervising longer than expected, and help them thrive by breaking tasks into small, repeatable steps. Motor planning improves with consistent practice — a clinician-administered assessment shows which steps to target first.
Read the answer AnswerWhat does a caregiver need to know to keep a child with Persistent Toe-Walking safe and thriving?
Persistent toe-walking means walking on the balls of the feet beyond about age 2. Most cases are idiopathic, but every child deserves a clinical check. Caregivers can keep ankles supple with guided stretches and barefoot play, watch for one-sided or stiff toe-walking, and seek prompt review if it persists or comes with delays. Any diagnosis is formed only at a Pinnacle centre under clinician care.
Read the answer AnswerWhat a Caregiver Needs to Know for Stereotyped Movement Disorder
Most stereotyped movements are harmless and self-soothing; a caregiver's job is to make the environment safe, understand the movement's purpose, and redirect rather than punish. Pad hard surfaces for head-banging, read the triggers, and seek prompt medical review for self-injury, sudden change, or any loss of awareness. A clinical AbilityScore and diagnosis are formed only at a Pinnacle centre under clinician care.
Read the answer AnswerKeeping a Child with Tourette Syndrome Safe and Thriving
Tics in Tourette Syndrome are involuntary and rarely dangerous — caregivers help most by reducing stress and stigma rather than asking a child to stop. Keep an eye on tics that cause injury, affect risky activities, or lead to teasing, and support co-occurring attention or anxiety needs. Developmental measurement supports care planning; diagnosis requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerEvidence-based therapy plan for Cerebral Palsy
An evidence-based Cerebral Palsy therapy plan is goal-directed, child-active and family-centred: functional family-set goals, high-intensity task-specific motor practice, co-ordinated MDT input (PT, OT, SLT, AAC), postural and tone management, standardised outcome measurement and caregiver coaching — anchored to the child's ICF functioning profile.
Read the answer AnswerEvidence-based therapy plan for DCD
An evidence-based DCD therapy plan is task-oriented and activity-focused, delivered in the child's real environments. Cognitive approaches (CO-OP) and Neuromotor Task Training have the strongest support, alongside functional goal-setting, environmental adaptation, parent/teacher coaching and screening for co-occurring conditions. A clinical AbilityScore and diagnosis are formed only at a Pinnacle centre.
Read the answer AnswerEvidence-based therapy plan for fine motor delay
An evidence-based fine motor delay plan is occupational-therapy-led: a clinician sets a baseline, defines SMART functional goals, and delivers high-repetition, task-specific practice across proximal stability, grasp, in-hand manipulation, bilateral coordination and pre-writing, with family carry-over and scheduled review.
Read the answer AnswerEvidence-Based Therapy Plan for Gross Motor Delay
An evidence-based gross motor delay plan is physiotherapy-led, goal-directed and high-repetition: functional targets, task-specific active practice at adequate dosage, a family-delivered home programme, environmental enrichment, and medical screening to exclude neurological causes before a therapy-only path.
Read the answer AnswerEvidence-Based Therapy Plan for Hypotonia
An evidence-based hypotonia plan is goal-directed and family-embedded: aetiological work-up first, then physiotherapy and occupational therapy targeting postural control, proximal stability and functional milestones, with feeding/speech input where oral tone is affected, all dosed to measurable goals.
Read the answer AnswerWhat an evidence-based therapy plan for Motor Planning Difficulties includes
An evidence-based plan for motor planning difficulties is goal-directed and family-embedded, led by occupational/physiotherapy. The strongest evidence favours top-down task-oriented and cognitive approaches (CO-OP, Goal–Plan–Do–Check) over isolated sensory drills, with high-frequency distributed practice, child-chosen functional goals and structured outcome measurement.
Read the answer AnswerEvidence-Based Therapy Plan for Persistent Toe-Walking
An evidence-based persistent toe-walking plan starts by excluding neurological and orthopaedic causes, then escalates by severity: home stretching, gait re-education and dorsiflexion work where range is preserved; serial casting, orthoses or botulinum toxin where equinus limits dorsiflexion; surgical lengthening for fixed contracture. Diagnosis and AbilityScore® are clinician-formed at a Pinnacle centre.
Read the answer AnswerEvidence-Based Therapy Plan for Stereotyped Movement Disorder
An evidence-based plan for Stereotyped Movement Disorder (ICD-11 6A06) starts by separating benign self-regulatory stereotypy from self-injurious or impairing movements, then centres on function-led behavioural intervention — functional assessment, antecedent and environmental modification, differential reinforcement and response-interruption-redirection — with sensory and parent-mediated supports. Pharmacotherapy is reserved for refractory self-injurious cases under specialist supervision.
Read the answer AnswerEvidence-based therapy plan for Tourette Syndrome
An evidence-based plan for a young child with Tourette Syndrome leads with behavioural therapy — CBIT and Habit Reversal Training within psychoeducation and function-based strategies — alongside screening and management of co-occurring ADHD, OCD and anxiety. Pharmacotherapy is reserved for severe, impairing tics under specialist care.
Read the answer AnswerWhat does it mean if my child can't climb stairs?
Trouble climbing stairs usually reflects developing gross-motor strength, balance and coordination rather than anything serious. Most children climb with support around 14–18 months and alternate feet by about 3 years. If your child is well behind these stages or has lost a skill, a gentle developmental check helps. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat does it mean if my child can't hold a pencil or crayon?
A child who can't yet hold a pencil or crayon is most often simply earlier on the normal path of fine-motor development — grip matures gradually, with a mature tripod grasp often not settling until 4–6 years. A gentle developmental check helps if grip is markedly behind peers, tires quickly, or sits alongside other hand-task difficulties. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat does it mean if my child can't use scissors?
Difficulty using scissors usually means fine-motor skills — hand strength, bilateral coordination and eye-hand control — are still maturing; most children master snipping by 3–4 and cutting on a line by 4–5. It is one observation, not a diagnosis. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat does it mean if my child drops things often?
Most children drop things often because grip, hand strength and hand-eye coordination are still developing — a normal part of growth. Occasionally it can reflect muscle tone, motor planning, attention or vision differences worth a gentle check. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat does it mean if my child has a very floppy body?
A "floppy" body means lower-than-usual muscle tone (hypotonia) — a finding, not a diagnosis, with many possible causes, most of which respond well to early support. A developmental check helps identify the reason; sudden floppiness with poor feeding, weak cry or breathing difficulty needs prompt medical review. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat does it mean if my child has a very stiff body?
A very stiff body usually means raised muscle tone (hypertonia) — limbs that resist bending, clenched fists, arching or scissoring legs. Many causes respond well to early support, but persistent or one-sided stiffness should be checked promptly by a clinician. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat does it mean if my child is clumsy and falls a lot?
Many young children are naturally clumsy as balance and coordination develop, but markedly more falls than peers, difficulty learning physical skills, or worsening clumsiness deserves a gentle developmental check. Causes range from still-developing coordination to motor differences, low muscle tone, vision or sensory processing. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat does it mean if my child isn't crawling yet?
Not crawling yet is very often normal — crawling has a wide window (around 6–11 months) and some healthy babies skip it entirely, choosing to shuffle, roll or pull straight to standing. Steady progress in strength and movement matters more than the crawling style. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat does it mean if my child isn't rolling over?
Rolling over usually appears between 4 and 7 months, but the window is wide and very normal — some babies skip rolling entirely. What matters is the overall pattern of growing head control and strength. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
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