Motor Delays

Motor delays are delays in gross motor skills development. Achieving certain motor skills or meeting motor milestones helps with activities such as walking, running, sitting and crawling. Motor delays are common and can vary in severity. In some cases, children who have motor delays simply achieve milestones at a later age or have only mild delays. In other cases, motor delays might indicate a more serious condition or disorder.

Some common motor delays include:

• Being late to roll over or sit up.
• No signs of walking by 18 months.
• Stiff limbs or low muscle tone.
• Inability to use one side of the body.
• Difficulty holding and using objects.
• Clumsiness and frequent falling.
• Losing previously acquired skills.

Whatever the case for your child, the Gillette Motor Delay Diagnosis and Treatment Clinic can find answers and start building a treatment plan to help.

The Motor Delay Clinic at Gillette Children’s offers support and answers for families who think their child may be experiencing delayed motor development.

The clinic is an important tool for early diagnosis and intervention for children who:

• Aren’t meeting certain motor milestones.
• Have conditions such as low tone, birth hypoxia, hydrocephalus or stroke.
• Were born prematurely.

At our Motor Delay Clinic, children ages 0 to 4 see three medical experts in one visit. A Gillette pediatric neurologist, pediatric rehabilitation medicine specialist and a pediatric orthopedic surgeon work together as a multidisciplinary team to evaluate, screen and diagnose children who are experiencing delayed development in gross motor skills. Gillette physical therapists, occupational therapists and speech and language therapists also assist in performing evaluations and creating a treatment plan.

Gillette’s team of specialists will:

• Conduct a comprehensive evaluation of development, muscle tone and movement of your child.
• Pinpoint possible causes of motor delays or establish a diagnosis.
• Work with you and your child to provide early intervention and establish a treatment plan.

Providers who make up the Motor Delay Clinic at Gillette might collaborate with a wide range of Gillette specialists to provide a comprehensive treatment plan for your child.

We also work closely with specialists in:

• Assistive technology
• Audiology
• Neurosurgery
• Occupational therapy
• Pediatrics
• Physical therapy
• Speech and language therapy

To learn more about how the Motor Delay Diagnosis and Treatment Clinic can help your child, call 651-290-8707. For more information about the services we offer at Gillette, search Conditions and Care.

Getting a second opinion is particularly helpful with a complex or unclear diagnosis or treatment that is no longer working.  Often having another expert’s opinion can help you feel more knowledgeable and confident when taking the next steps to care for your child.  

Online Second Opinion