Should my child have a BOT-2 assessment?

Wondering whether your child needs a movement-skills assessment — and what that actually looks like on the day?

In short

A BOT-2 assessment is worth considering if your child seems clumsy, tires quickly, avoids running or writing, or finds buttons, scissors or catching a ball harder than other children their age. It is a well-established, hands-on assessment of motor skills — both the big, whole-body movements and the small, precise hand movements — for children and young people from around 4 to 21 years. Whether your child should have one is best decided with a clinician, who weighs your everyday concerns alongside an initial developmental check.

What the BOT-2 involves

The BOT-2 is a friendly, activity-based session — to your child it feels much like a series of games rather than a 'test'. An occupational therapist or physiotherapist guides your child through tasks across two broad areas:

• Gross motor skills — running, jumping, balancing on one foot, hopping, catching and throwing, and coordinating both sides of the body.
• Fine motor skills — drawing within lines, cutting with scissors, threading, and precise hand-and-finger control.
• Coordination and strength — how smoothly arms and legs work together, plus core stability and stamina.

A full assessment usually takes around 45–60 minutes; a shorter form is available when a quicker screen is enough. Your child's scores are compared with what is typical for their age, which helps the clinician understand where movement is easy and where extra support would help. Most children enjoy it — there is no pass or fail.

When it helps to consider one

Think about an assessment if you notice persistent difficulty with everyday physical tasks — handwriting that is laboured, frequent trips and falls, avoiding the playground, or struggling to keep up in PE. These patterns can affect confidence and learning, and a BOT-2 gives a clear, measurable starting point for occupational therapy or physiotherapy support.

The Pinnacle way

Developmental measurement supports care planning; diagnosis requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional., under the care of a qualified clinician — never from an online figure or a form. Our clinicians may use established instruments like the BOT-2 alongside our own clinician-administered structured assessment to map your child's motor skills against their own baseline, then turn that into a practical plan you can use at the centre and at home. Backed by 2.5 billion+ data points and 25 million+ therapy sessions across 70+ centres, the focus is always on what your child can build next.

Trusted sources

AAP/HealthyChildren guidance on motor development and milestones; ASHA and allied-health consensus on standardised, norm-referenced motor assessment; CDC developmental milestone resources for gross and fine motor skills.

Next step — Not sure if a BOT-2 is right for your child? Book an assessment with a Pinnacle clinician for clear, friendly guidance and a measurable plan.

This is general information, not a diagnosis — individual assessment and diagnosis require an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.