Gross motor delays
NJLH
member
Hi girls-
I hope its ok to write on this board. I'm not sure where else to seek advice. One of my girls (12 months) does not yet crawl or roll. I've had her in early intervention for 2 months now and just started an outside physical therapy. Unfortunately,my daughter spends the sessions screaming her head off. She doesnt like a stranger pushing her around. I try hard to do her exercises at home but I dont feel like I"m getting anywhere. Its also tough to spend as much time as I should because her twin sister is all over the house. My pediatrician wants to wait a few months to possibly take her to a neurologist or even a developmental pediatrician. I'm very frustrated with the whole thing. I dont know what to do next and i'm worried she may never want to move off her butt. Did anyone else experience delays like this? Is there hope?
Re: Gross motor delays
3 boys (15, 8, 6), 1 girl (4)
My DD was also a late crawler/walker. She didn't walk until age 17 months. She goes to PT and we have seen big improvements and is even walking up stairs (holding onto railing).
She does have hypotonia on her left side. Has your doctor checked for any signs of hypotonia (low tone)?
Hi,
My daughter did not crawl, roll, or pull to stand at 12 months. Unfortunately we did not start EI until about 16 months. I wish that I had done it sooner. It took her a few sessions to be comfortable with the PT. Most of the exercises were disguised as games. My daughter walked at a lttle over 2 years and graduated from EI to PT through the school system when she was 3. She is now 4 1/2 and I saw a huge gain in skills over the summer. Your daughter will get more comfortable with her PT and as she gains skills you can include her twin in the 'games'. we had a wonderful experience through EI. good luck.
Hello. Sorry I am responding so late as I have not been on in a while.
PT makes a huge difference and of course you working as much as you can with her at home. I know it's hard, I am guility of not doing as muc as I should too being I have another child to take care of and life is just busy with kids, plain and simple.
My son who si 17 months is still not walking on his own and can only stand on his own for a few seconds (less than 5) BUT he is more fearful of it and me and PT feel he can certainly do more than he feels he is capable of but his personality is not a "go getter" and never was. He very laid back in all areas. He did an army crawl from 10 to 14 months and only starting pulling-up at 14 months and is cruising and can use a push toy now. He is on the lower end of normal for his muscle tone (weakness). I have see a neuro at 15 months who felt if we should run anyt tests to wait until 18 or 19 months to see where his progess is at that point. I go back when he is 19 months and I pray he is walking by then but we shall see. Many doctors won't just run invasive tests right off the bat unless they really see something not right. The nero said he was not overly concerned enough to say lets run this and this. I was happy with that. The positive is that we see progession and that is what you want to see. Good luck, she will be okay, just get that pt going.
I'm an EI PT, and I just wanted to mention that it can take a little while for a therapist and child to build a rapport. However, if your daughter continues to struggle during therapy sessions, it is well within your rights to request another therapist. And your therapist would probably understand. For now, try having the therapist demonstrate activities, and then try them yourself with your daughter. She may be more comfortable with you placing your hands on her, rather than the therapist.
Ideally the purpose of EI is for the therapist to give the parent suggestions for play activities to incorporate throughout the week between sessions. Since a therapist is only with your child an hour per week, and the parents are there all the time, a child will make progress if given opportunities to work on skills throughout the week. Of course, parents are very busy, especially a mother of twins! However, I think some parents imagine they are supposed to be setting aside a certain amount of time per day to "work" on therapy skills. Really, the suggestions given by the therapist should be things you can implement frequently throughout your day, to help your child build her motor skills. For instance, if you're playing on the floor with your girls, and your baby wants a nearby toy, assist her with getting onto her hands and knees so she can reach it, rather than just handing it to her. Or, after each diaper change, give her a bit of a start in rolling over, and see if she can complete the roll.
Were your girls born early? Sometimes babies can have a bit of a delay, but make up ground and eventually catch up to their peers. Further medical testing would indicate if there is more going on. Your therapist should be able to tell you if she sees things like abnormal muscle tone or unintegrated reflexes, which can indicate neurological involvement. But, sometimes babies just need a little extra boost to get going, and then they are fine! I am currently working with a 17 month old (born 7 weeks early) who, at about 9 months, was not rolling or moving at all. In just several months, she is now completely age-appropriate in her skills, and she will be finished with PT soon. (And, incidently, this baby cried A LOT with me for the first few months, but eventually she got comfortable with me!)
If you are not comfortable waiting for further testing or a neurologist consult, remember you can get a second opinion, or possibly find a more aggressive physician. I get concerned when doctors play the "wait and see" card, because there is so much benefit to intervention in the first three years, and I just don't like to see too much time pass by. Although, as a PP mentioned, the average range for walking is up to 16 months, a baby still needs to be meeting other milestones within typical range. Not rolling over at 12 months is a concern. Also, please be wary if a doctor tells you not to worry about crawling, b/c some babies never do. Especially if a child has reason for delays, it is very important that they learn to crawl at some point, if they are able. Any OT will tell you how important crawling is for strengthening the tiny muscles of the hands for handwriting later!
Lastly, never underestimate the importance of tummy time! If there is only one activity you have time to implement with your baby, make it tummy time. Nearly all infant development starts on the tummy. If she cries, continue to work on it for very brief periods of time, even 5 seconds, and build up her tolerance. Get on the floor in front of her, face to face. Sing songs, make silly faces, show her fun toys or books. Try to build up her tolerance of being on her tummy.
HTH, and GL!