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Motor
Explore explanations, everyday questions and next steps connected with motor.
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Signs & concerns
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Signs & concerns
What does it mean if my child is not yet showing sitting balance?
Sitting balance usually settles by 6–9 months, so if your toddler is not yet sitting steadily on their own, it's wise to arrange a developmental check — not as alarm, but because sitting is a foundation for crawling, standing and play. This is a reason to assess early, never a diagnosis. With gentle, play-based support most children build this skill beautifully.
Read the answer AnswerWhat does it mean if my child is not yet showing sprinting ability?
Sprinting is a higher-level gross-motor skill that develops gradually between roughly 3 and 7, with wide normal variation. If your child runs, climbs and jumps with control but isn't yet a fast sprinter, that is usually normal — pure speed comes late. Watch the foundations: running with control, balance, coordination and stamina. Seek a check if your child isn't running by ~3, trips often, tires quickly, moves one side differently, or loses a skill — reasons to assess, not a diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerWhat does it mean if my child is not yet showing squatting balance?
If your toddler isn't yet showing squatting balance, it usually means this gross-motor skill is still developing — not a diagnosis. Most children begin squatting to play around 14–18 months and grow steadier through their second and third year. Watch it alongside walking, leg strength and overall movement; a check is wise if several motor skills lag together, muscles seem very stiff or floppy, or a skill is lost.
Read the answer AnswerWhat does it mean if my child is not yet showing stair climbing?
Children usually start climbing stairs between about 18 months and 3 years, progressing from both-feet steps with help to confident alternating feet. If a child of 3 to 7 isn't yet climbing stairs, it is most often about opportunity, confidence or practice rather than a problem. Seek a developmental check if stair climbing lags well behind other movements, or if your child seems unusually stiff, floppy, unsteady or fearful — a reason to review, never a diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerWhat does it mean if my child is not yet showing standing balance?
Standing balance is holding a steady upright stance without toppling — most children stand briefly alone by about 12 months and grow steadier through the second year. If your toddler isn't yet showing it, their muscles, core and inner-ear systems are likely still maturing — not a sign something is wrong, but a good reason for a gentle developmental check, since early support works best.
Read the answer AnswerWhat does it mean if my child is not yet showing static balance?
Static balance — holding the body steady while standing still — develops gradually between ages 3 and 7, so brief wobbles are normal. Seek a developmental check if your child consistently can't stand steady, falls often, can't hold a one-foot stand by 4–5, tires quickly when upright, or loses a skill. This is a reason to assess early, not a diagnosis — and occupational therapy builds steadiness through play.
Read the answer AnswerWhat does it mean if my child is not yet showing tiptoe balance?
Tiptoe balance is one of many balance skills that emerge gradually between about 3 and 7 years; standing still on tiptoes often settles around 4–5. Not showing it yet is usually about timing and practice, not a problem. Look at the whole movement picture — confident walking, running, jumping and climbing — and seek a gentle developmental check if there is frequent falling, very stiff or floppy legs, persistent toe-walking, or any loss of a skill.
Read the answer AnswerWhat if my child isn't showing tiptoe walking?
Tiptoe walking is not a milestone your child needs to reach — many toddlers never tiptoe, and that is completely typical. Between 12 and 36 months, what matters is steady, flat-footed walking, not toe-walking. A child not showing tiptoe walking is almost always doing exactly what we'd hope. Concern relates to persistent toe-walking beyond age 2–3 or to not walking at all by 18 months, not to its absence.
Read the answer AnswerWhat it means if your child is not yet walking
Most children walk between 12 and 15 months, with a healthy range to about 18 months. A toddler who is not yet walking but pulling to stand, cruising or crawling well is usually just on their own pace. Seek a developmental check if there are no independent steps by 18 months, if one side is favoured or movements look stiff or floppy, or if not-walking comes with other delays. This is a reason to observe early, not a diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerWhat does it mean if my child is not yet showing walking balance?
Between 3 and 7 years, walking balance is still maturing, so some wobbliness — especially on one foot, uneven ground or when turning — is usually typical and improves with time and practice. Seek a developmental check if balance is markedly behind peers, getting worse, comes with frequent unexplained falls, toe-walking, stiffness, or delays in other skills. This is a reason to assess early, not a diagnosis, because support at this age works best.
Read the answer AnswerEarly Indicators of Cerebral Palsy
Watch for delayed or asymmetric motor milestones, persistent abnormal tone, early hand preference before 12 months, retained primitive reflexes and atypical movement quality. The strongest infancy predictor is an abnormal General Movements Assessment plus abnormal neurological exam plus relevant perinatal history — refer promptly rather than waiting.
Read the answer AnswerEarly Indicators of Developmental Coordination Disorder
Watch for motor skill acquisition and execution markedly below age expectation that interferes with daily life — clumsiness, late milestones, frequent falls, trouble with buttons, cutlery and pencils, and weak motor planning — not explained by intellectual disability or a neurological condition. DCD is reliably judged from around age 5; earlier soft signs warrant monitoring and referral.
Read the answer AnswerEarly Indicators of Fine Motor Delay
Watch for fine motor lags across grasp, manipulation and tool use that persist across visits — no pincer grasp by ~12 months, difficulty with cubes, scribbling, cutlery, buttons. Refer urgently on regression, hand asymmetry before 18 months, or delay within a broader developmental picture. Only a clinician confirms.
Read the answer AnswerEarly Indicators of Gross Motor Delay
Watch for missed gross-motor milestones (no head control by ~4m, no sitting by ~9m, no walking by ~18m), persistent asymmetry, abnormal tone, retained primitive reflexes, or any motor regression. Refer for aetiological workup — delay is a sign, not a diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerEarly Indicators of Hypotonia for Paediatricians
Watch for reduced resistance to passive movement, head lag on pull-to-sit, frog-leg posture, slipping-through on suspension, delayed gross-motor milestones and feeding difficulty. Distinguish central from peripheral causes and refer urgently when areflexia, progressive weakness or respiratory/swallowing compromise coexist.
Read the answer AnswerWhat early indicators of Motor Planning Difficulties should a paediatrician watch for?
Watch for difficulty conceiving, sequencing and executing novel movements that is disproportionate to strength, tone or intelligence — clumsiness, slow acquisition of multi-step skills (dressing, cutlery, handwriting), inconsistent performance and heavy reliance on cueing. Refer when persistent across settings and once primary neurological causes are excluded.
Read the answer AnswerEarly Indicators of Persistent Toe-Walking
Watch for toe-walking persisting past ~24–36 months that is bilateral, habitual, or paired with reduced ankle dorsiflexion. Refer rather than reassure when there is asymmetry, hyperreflexia or spasticity, regression, calf hypertrophy, late milestones, or co-occurring developmental concerns — these point to a secondary cause.
Read the answer AnswerEarly Indicators of Stereotyped Movement Disorder
Watch for repetitive, rhythmic, self-driven movements — hand-flapping, rocking, head-banging, self-biting — beginning before age 3, persisting beyond the expected window, suppressible on distraction and rising with stress or excitement. Refer when self-injurious, functionally impairing or developmentally concerning; refer urgently if events are non-suppressible and seizure-like.
Read the answer AnswerEarly indicators of Tourette Syndrome for paediatricians
Watch for sudden, recurrent, non-rhythmic motor tics (eye-blinking, facial grimacing, head jerks) from ages 4–7, followed by vocal tics (throat-clearing, sniffing). Tics wax and wane, migrate, and are briefly suppressible. Tourette per ICD-11 needs multiple motor plus one vocal tic over a year; refer for persistence, functional impact, or to screen comorbid ADHD/OCD.
Read the answer AnswerEarly signs of Cerebral Palsy on a home visit
On a home visit, refer for cerebral palsy assessment when a baby feels unusually stiff or floppy, favours one side, fists hands past 3–4 months, or misses motor milestones such as head control, rolling or sitting. Feeding difficulty and persistent parental concern matter too. These warrant prompt referral, not wait-and-see.
Read the answer AnswerEarly Signs of DCD to Spot During a Home Visit
During a home visit, look for a child who finds everyday movement harder than peers — frequent falls, trouble with spoon, cup, buttons and stairs, and clumsiness that doesn't match effort or intelligence. These are early DCD flags worth a developmental check; only a clinician can confirm.
Read the answer AnswerEarly signs of Fine Motor Delay for frontline health workers
On a home visit, watch how the child uses hands for their age: reaching and grasping in infancy, then pincer grasp, stacking, scribbling and self-feeding. A clear lag behind age-expected hand skills, or any loss of a skill, warrants a developmental check — you screen, a clinician confirms.
Read the answer AnswerEarly Signs of Gross Motor Delay for Frontline Health Workers
Refer a child for gross motor assessment when they miss movement milestones for their age — no steady head control by 4 months, not sitting by 9 months, not standing or walking with support by 18 months — or show floppiness, stiffness, one-sided weakness or loss of a skill. Frontline observation and parent concern are what get a child seen in time.
Read the answer AnswerEarly Signs of Hypotonia (Low Muscle Tone) on a Home Visit
On a home visit, watch for a baby who feels floppy or limp, has poor head control, slips through your hands when lifted, has a weak suck or feeding difficulty, and lags on motor milestones. These are early signs of hypotonia — a reason to refer for a developmental check, not to diagnose.
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