26 Month Old Very Clumsy and Uncoordinated, ?Motor Delay

Kids don't develop uniformly.... but rather in stages. Think of a staircase instead of a ramp. It also helps to think of it as MULTIPLE staircases. If they are going up the cognitive staircase, the physical staircase is usually left alone. Then they hop off of the cognitive stairs for a mo' and work on the physical... then the emotional... then back to the physical... then 3 steps on cognitive. Then 2 steps on fine motor. Then, etc., etc., etc..

Hence why you'll almost NEVER find a child who hits all the milestones at the same place (early, dead on, late)... but the WAY in which they hit them makes a lot of sense. Fast growers and gifted kids both tend to stay in the cognitive and fine motor cases (either their bodies are growing to fast for them to LOOK like they're progressing, because they're constantly having to relearn relearn relearn... or their mind latches onto x, y, z, and they just DELIGHT in those areas for quite some time). It's so prevalent in gifted kids... there's a r.e.a.l.l.y. common name for it : asynchronistic development. In gifted-land asynchronistic development goes one step further if they latch onto one mental area (like math, music, reading. etc.) which gets them years ahead in one area, and actually quite behind in one one or several others).

These staircases make SENSE when you look at them. Kid's brains never stop working. They're always working on something. It's not always as cut and dried as early talker= late walker but if you look at the skills that they're developing, it's something of an AHA! moment. To use the common talk/walk split though: Okay, so we're doing cognitive and fine motor with talking (tongue and lips are the very definition of fine motor)... then with walking it jumps staircases and goes into large motor realm. I've never met a child who can be on all "staircases" at the same time, but many blend two together. It's also the whole "regression" thing. If a child is focusing on one area... the others tend to atrophy a little bit. But since they've already "done" it, they don't have to go throught the whole process all over again. They just have to sort of remind themselves/ remember how they did it before.

R

Trust your gut, and if it concerns you, then your Mommy voice is telling you what to do. If it were me, I would make an appointment with a clinic that has both Occupational and Physical Therapists. Call and tell them your concerns, and let them guide you. Maybe a consultation is all you need, but at least you can get some hands on advice to help you decide. If they recommend therapy, I would do it in a heart beat! You can't give them too many chances to succeed!

M.

My son is 28 months and is a little behind on gross motor skills. Well really it is that he las mild low muscle tone in his legs. He walked at 14 months. When he was a baby we called him noodle legs because he never wanted to bear weight on his legs. He walks fine now and runs, but stumbles sometimes. He can jump, but he is just now getting to the point where he can walk up the stairs. What do you mean when you say she needs "tons" of help on the stairs. Can she walk up them at all with the railing? I would say to ask your doctor about a referral to physical therapy for an evalutaion or call the birth to 3 agency in your area for an Early Intervention evaluation. We did an eval with a PT and she told us that he has a little low muscle tone, but not enough to warrant any therapy. She just suggested to continue to let him play and do physical stuff as much as possible and he would get stonger.

Have you mentioned the part about her dragging her leg to her doctor. That one I am unsure about. Maybe she has some kind of lod/underlying injury that is making all of the other stuff hard for her.

Good luck, and chances are she will catch up with her skills. As far as being clulmsy I think some people are just more clumsy than others, but that does not mean that it will have a big effect on her.

hi -
if you’re concerned (which it sounds like) you may want to consider a physical therapy evaluation to assess her gross motor skills. One of you comments that was more concerning is that she is dragging her right foot - that is not typical. She may need strengthening exercises or shoe inserts. If her right foot is dragging it will also impact her running.

When you comment about playground equipment - is she having a hard time due to strength, lower extremity (leg) coordination or do you feel like you need to demonstrate/show her (more than other kids her age) on her how to climb/move on the equipment? if this is the case, you may want to consider an occupational therapy evaluation.

Please feel free to message me with questions.

take care

PS - if you decide to see a therapist make sure they specialize in pediatrics

The fact that she drags one foot tells me she needs an evaluation right now. Don't delay.

My son has a gross motor delay. Based on what you describe as your daughter's pattern of movement I'd suggest that you check into the early childhood development intervention services in your state. In CT the agency is called Birth to Three, but every state has something because the agencies are partially federally funded. If yours is like CT's, then all you need to do is call and inquire. The agency will send 2 specialists to your house to evaluate your daughter. If they decide she is eligible for services, your daughter will then receive therapy according to an individualized plan. There is a monthly fee based on income level. Our family has been participating only for a short time, but even so I can say that I believe intervention has helped our son.

My son needed early intervention and your evaluation and services are Free, they come to your house and work with your child after they discover the issues. My osn has flat, turned in feet, it effects his balance and he gets physical therapy and wears shoe inserts to straighten his feet. He would run like a 'drunken toddlers' never straight until they put his SMOS on him.

Gateways is the starting point for a phone call and an appointment:
http://www.gatewayscs.org/vendors.htm
We used Sunrise early Intervention services across form the Wal-Mart on Amherst St in Amherst, but there is one in Nashua. I d not recommend Easter Seals as they are very short staffed.

Please call Monday and get started with this process, helping her now will lessen problems later. Early Intervention changed our lives.

I would have her pediatrician write you a referral for a pediatric Physical Therapy evaluation at a local outpatient clinic. Even if she doesn't qualify for therapy services, they can give you tips to help her development along. If she does qualify, then you know you did the right thing getting her evaluated! She sounds like a doll....but I'd have it checked out for sure - I don't think it's developmentally expected to have the "clumsiness and dragging of her foot" as you described - but I'm not a PT. Since she's so verbal and bright, she'd probably catch on quickly with the cues and tips that a PT would give!

call early intervention -you don't need a Dr. referral. They should be able to evaluate your dd in all areas of development, and if she needs help in PT or OT they should be able to figure it out, and give you a therapist who can help. The services should be free or low cost, usually done in your home and at your convenience.

Get her checked - it will help YOU feel better that you are doing the right thing for your dd no matter what they find out.

Good Luck!