My child's Gross Motor AbilityScore — what are the next steps?

A score is not a verdict — it's a starting map that shows exactly where your child's movement skills are today and where gentle support can take them next.

In short

Your child's Gross Motor AbilityScore is one snapshot of how their large-muscle skills — sitting, crawling, standing, walking, running, jumping and balance — are developing right now. It is not a diagnosis and not a final word; it simply helps a clinician see your child's strengths and the areas that would benefit from focused practice. Wherever the number falls on the 0–100 band, the next step is the same: turn that snapshot into a clear, child-led plan.

Making sense of the score

Think of the score as a position on a journey, not a label.

• A higher band usually means your child's gross motor foundations are tracking well — support here is about enriching play, confidence and coordination.
• A middle band often means some skills are emerging while others need targeted, playful practice to catch up.
• A lower band simply tells us your child needs more structured help to build the same skills — earlier support tends to make the biggest difference, so this is good information to have, not a cause for alarm.

Gross motor development (ICF d455, moving around) builds in a sequence — head control, sitting, crawling, pulling to stand, walking — and children move through it at their own pace. The score tells us where in that sequence to focus, so practice is neither too easy nor frustrating.

Your next steps

1. Book a clinician review of the score, so it can be read alongside your child's age, history and how they move in everyday life.
2. Begin a tailored plan — typically physiotherapy or occupational therapy play-based work on the specific skills that are emerging.
3. Practise at home — short, joyful movement games (tummy time, climbing cushions, kicking a ball, stepping over lines) repeated little and often.
4. Re-measure over time to see progress and adjust the plan.

Seek a prompt medical check sooner if you notice your child losing a skill they once had, stiffness or floppiness on one side, persistent toe-walking, or movement that seems to cause pain.

The Pinnacle way

AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional — never from a number alone. Backed by 25 million+ therapy sessions and 4.95 lakh+ families served across 70+ centres, our therapists translate your child's score into a precise, playful movement plan. Understand how the AbilityScore is calculated, explore our therapy support, or start from the beginning.

Trusted sources

WHO ICF framework (activity domain d455, moving around); American Academy of Pediatrics (HealthyChildren.org) gross motor milestone guidance; CDC developmental milestone resources for movement and play.

Next step — Ready to turn the score into a plan? Book a gross motor assessment with a Pinnacle clinician.