What do Physiotherapists do at Move and Play Paediatric Therapy?
The Role of Physiotherapy in Promoting Gross Motor Skills Development in Children
A crucial aspect of a child’s development is gross motor skills. Gross motor skills involve the coordination and control of large muscle groups that are responsible for movement. Gross motor skills are the foundation for many physical activities such as crawling, walking, running, jumping, skipping, hopping etc.
The development of gross motor skills play a significant role in a child’s overall development. Gross motor skills form the basis for more mature, complex physical activities later in life. They also assist children with their other areas of development, such as fine motor skills, communication skills, and social skills by providing a stable base from which the child can execute these more refined skills, as well as opportunity to explore their environment and engage with people and things in it, as well as playing a vital role in enhancing a child’s physical activity endurance and overall fitness.
Each child is different, and each child develops their gross motor skills at their own pace, with slight variations between children in achieving each milestone – these slight variations can be perfectly normal! However, there are some children who might experience differences and delays in development of their gross motor skills which, as a parent, can be worrisome. If you are concerned about your child’s development seeing a physiotherapist can help.
A physiotherapist’s role focuses on improving physical function and mobility. In the case of children who have difficulties or delays with their gross motor skills, physiotherapy plays a fundamental role in facilitating the necessary posture, strength, motor coordination, and control to help develop or improve these skills. Here is how your child’s physiotherapist will work with your child to improve their gross motor skills:
Individualised assessment:
As physiotherapists, we conduct individualised assessments of your child’s motor skills based upon our observations as well as your concerns and goals. Your child’s assessment may consist of general clinical observations of your child’s development and gross motor skills, or it could be a more formal standardised assessment which measures your child’s abilities against a score. By doing this, we will gain a greater picture of your child and their abilities, and are able to relay our findings back to you in an easy-to-understand way. If you have any concerns about your child’s gross motor skills, ask your physiotherapist for their observations or an assessment to better understand your child.
Tailored therapy and support plan:
Based on the assessments conducted, we are then able to tailor a child-specific physiotherapy support plan which will address any specific areas of gross motor development that may be of concern. These plans may include activities that are targeted to strengthen muscles, improve balance, coordination, or flexibility, and may consist of 1:1 therapy sessions, group programs and other therapeutic supports or activities such as supportive garments, adaptive equipment, or alternative strategies to enhance your child’s participation. We work closely with families to create and work on goals. Our assessment process plus liaising with families assist us in developing treatment plans that can best help support you and your individual child.
Home or community based activities:
As we are only with your child for a short period of their whole week or month, it is important to continue practicing their gross motor skills at home to ensure that your child’s progress is ongoing outside the therapy session. We can provide a home or community based activity program, which will include a variety of everyday opportunities to practice your child’s gross motor skills at home with them or when you are out and about with them. We will tailor it specifically to your child, their needs and what equipment you have available to you. This fosters consistency and further supports your child’s gross motor skill development.
As parents, it is natural to want to the best for your child. The role of physiotherapy in promoting gross motor skills is invaluable in supporting their physical development journey. By seeking assessment and intervention with a physio, and that physio working in collaboration with your child and your family, we can all help your child build a strong foundation for their future skills and abilities.
If you would like to view specific individual success stories of gross motor achievements, you can view our Facebook or Instagram pages where we post success stories!