From learning to hold their head up to sitting, crawling, standing, walking, running, and playing, children are constantly developing new abilities.
While every child develops at their own pace, sometimes parents begin to notice that their child is having difficulty reaching certain developmental milestones. When this happens, pediatric physical therapy can help identify areas where a child may need additional support and provide individualized treatment to help them develop important movement skills.
At Empower Physical Therapy in Newton, KS, we provide pediatric physical therapy for babies, toddlers, children, and teens who may be experiencing developmental delays, weakness, balance difficulties, coordination challenges, abnormal movement patterns, or other concerns affecting their ability to move and participate in everyday activities. Our Newton pediatric specialist, Dr. Avery Meyers, works with children and their families to help kids build strength, confidence, mobility, and independence.
If you are wondering whether your child is developing as expected, you do not have to wait until a movement difficulty becomes a larger problem. A pediatric physical therapy evaluation can help you better understand your child’s movement and determine whether physical therapy may be beneficial.
What Is a Developmental Delay?
A developmental delay occurs when a child takes longer than expected to develop certain skills.
Development can involve many different areas, including communication, social skills, fine motor skills, problem solving, and gross motor skills. Pediatric physical therapists primarily focus on gross motor development, which includes the larger movements children use to explore their environment and participate in daily life.
Gross motor skills include activities such as rolling, sitting, crawling, standing, walking, running, jumping, climbing stairs, balancing, and playing. These skills build upon one another as children grow. For example, the strength and trunk control developed during tummy time can contribute to sitting and crawling. Crawling and pulling to stand can help develop strength and coordination that eventually support independent walking.
A child who experiences a gross motor developmental delay may take longer to reach one or several of these milestones. In other situations, a child may reach milestones around the expected time but use an unusual movement pattern to accomplish them.
Because there is a wide range of typical development, being slightly earlier or later than another child does not automatically mean there is a problem. However, if you are concerned about your child’s movement, discussing those concerns with a pediatric physical therapist can provide valuable information.
What Are Common Signs of a Developmental Delay?
Parents often know their children better than anyone else. You may notice differences during everyday activities long before they become obvious to someone who only sees your child occasionally.
Some children with motor developmental delays may have difficulty learning to roll, sit independently, crawl, pull themselves into standing, or walk. Others may struggle more as they get older and physical activities become increasingly complex.
You might consider a pediatric physical therapy evaluation if your child:
- Is having difficulty reaching movement milestones
• Seems significantly weaker on one side of the body
• Frequently loses their balance or falls
• Has difficulty sitting without support
• Is not beginning to walk when expected
• Has difficulty running, jumping, or climbing
• Consistently walks on their toes
• Appears unusually stiff or unusually floppy
• Avoids physical play or struggles to keep up with peers
• Uses noticeably different movement patterns on one side
These signs do not necessarily mean that a child has a serious condition. However, they can be reasons to have your child’s strength, mobility, balance, coordination, and movement patterns evaluated.
Why Is My Child Not Meeting Developmental Milestones?
There are many possible reasons why a child may experience delayed motor development.
Sometimes there is an identifiable medical or orthopedic reason. In other cases, a child may simply need additional opportunities, strength, or guidance to develop a particular movement skill.
Muscle weakness can make it harder for a baby to maintain positions such as sitting or standing. Limited mobility can affect how a child transitions between positions. Differences in muscle tone can influence posture and movement. Balance and coordination difficulties can make standing, walking, running, and playing more challenging.
Children may also develop compensatory movement patterns. A child who finds one movement difficult may discover another way to accomplish the same task. While this can help them temporarily, relying on compensations may sometimes prevent them from developing more efficient movement patterns.
The goal of pediatric physical therapy is not simply to compare your child to a checklist. Instead, a pediatric physical therapist looks at how your child moves, what they can currently do, what is difficult for them, and what skills may help them become more independent.
How Can Physical Therapy Help Developmental Delays?
Physical therapy for developmental delays is designed around the individual child. Treatment may focus on improving strength, mobility, balance, coordination, posture, endurance, motor planning, and overall movement skills.
For babies, therapy may include activities that encourage tummy time, rolling, reaching, sitting, crawling, transitioning between positions, pulling to stand, and early walking skills.
For toddlers, treatment may focus more on standing balance, walking, navigating different surfaces, squatting, climbing, stairs, running, and early jumping skills.
As children get older, physical therapy may address more advanced activities such as running, jumping, hopping, skipping, climbing, throwing, catching, balance, coordination, and participating in recreational or school activities.
Treatment is adjusted based on the child’s age, abilities, interests, and specific needs. Pediatric physical therapy often looks much more like play than traditional exercise because play is one of the primary ways children learn movement.
Pediatric Physical Therapy Should Be Fun
Children are more likely to participate when an activity is interesting and engaging. That is why pediatric physical therapy frequently incorporates toys, games, obstacle courses, balls, stairs, balance activities, and other age appropriate challenges.
While your child may think they are simply playing, their physical therapist is intentionally selecting activities that challenge specific movement skills.
For example, reaching for a favorite toy may encourage a baby to shift their weight or practice rolling. Placing toys on a raised surface may encourage a toddler to practice pulling to stand. An obstacle course may help an older child improve balance, coordination, strength, and motor planning.
The goal is to create opportunities for children to practice skills while keeping therapy positive and encouraging.
What Happens During a Pediatric Physical Therapy Evaluation?
If you bring your child to Empower Physical Therapy in Newton, the first step is an evaluation. This allows the physical therapist to learn about your concerns, your child’s development, and the activities that are currently difficult.
Depending on your child’s age and needs, the evaluation may include observing how your child sits, crawls, stands, walks, runs, jumps, climbs, or transitions between positions. The therapist may also evaluate strength, flexibility, balance, coordination, posture, joint mobility, and other aspects of movement.
Parents are an important part of this process. You see how your child moves at home, on the playground, at school, and in other environments. Sharing what you have noticed can help your child’s therapist develop a more complete understanding of their needs.
After the evaluation, your physical therapist can discuss their findings with you and explain whether pediatric physical therapy is recommended.
Physical Therapy for Babies With Developmental Delays
Parents often wonder whether a baby can really participate in physical therapy. They absolutely can. Pediatric physical therapy for babies is specifically adapted to infant development.
A baby may be referred to physical therapy because they are having difficulty with head control, tummy time, rolling, sitting, crawling, standing, or other early motor skills. Some parents also notice that their baby strongly prefers turning or moving toward one side.
Physical therapy may use gentle positioning and play based activities to encourage movement and help the baby develop strength, symmetry, mobility, and motor control.
Parents can also learn ways to incorporate helpful activities into everyday routines. Small changes in how a baby plays, reaches for toys, spends time on the floor, or transitions between positions can provide additional opportunities to practice new skills.
Physical Therapy for Toddlers With Developmental Delays
The toddler years bring rapid changes in movement. Children progress from early walking to navigating increasingly complex environments. They learn to squat, climb, run, step over objects, use stairs, kick balls, and eventually begin jumping.
A toddler with a gross motor delay may struggle with one or several of these activities. Some toddlers may walk later than expected, while others walk independently but have poor balance or unusual walking patterns.
Pediatric physical therapy can help toddlers develop the strength, balance, coordination, and confidence necessary to explore their environment safely.
Because toddlers are naturally curious and active, therapy can use this curiosity to encourage movement. Games and play activities can be designed to challenge skills without making therapy feel like a traditional exercise program.
Physical Therapy for Older Children With Motor Delays
Developmental concerns do not always become obvious during infancy. Sometimes difficulties are noticed when children begin participating in more advanced physical activities.
Parents may notice that their child has difficulty keeping up on the playground, struggles with stairs, avoids running games, falls more frequently than other children, or has difficulty learning skills such as jumping or hopping.
These challenges may be related to strength, balance, coordination, endurance, mobility, or motor planning. A pediatric physical therapist can assess the underlying movement skills needed for these activities and create a treatment plan to address areas of difficulty.
Improving physical abilities can also help children participate more confidently in school, recreation, sports, and family activities.
Why Early Intervention Can Be Helpful
Children learn an incredible amount through movement. Being able to move independently allows a child to explore their environment, interact with toys, participate in play, and develop new skills.
When a child is having difficulty with gross motor development, providing support earlier may give them additional opportunities to practice important movement patterns.
Parents sometimes hesitate to schedule an evaluation because they hope their child will simply catch up. Some children do. However, an evaluation does not mean your child will automatically need ongoing therapy. It simply provides more information about how your child is moving and whether additional support could be helpful.
If no significant concerns are identified, having reassurance from a pediatric physical therapist can be valuable. If therapy is recommended, you can begin addressing the areas that are challenging your child.
Parents Are an Important Part of Pediatric Physical Therapy
A physical therapist may only see your child for a limited amount of time each week. Parents and caregivers have many more opportunities to encourage movement during normal daily activities.
That is why parent education is an important part of pediatric physical therapy. Your child’s therapist may show you simple activities that can be incorporated into playtime and everyday routines.
These activities should not make home feel like another therapy session. Instead, the goal is to identify practical ways to help your child practice movement throughout the day.
For example, the placement of toys can encourage a baby to turn toward a less preferred direction. Playing near a couch may provide a toddler with opportunities to practice standing. Playground activities can help an older child develop balance and climbing skills.
When therapy and home activities work together, children have more opportunities to practice the skills they are learning.
Pediatric Physical Therapy With Dr. Avery Meyers in Newton, KS
At our Newton Empower Physical Therapy location, pediatric care is provided by Dr. Avery Meyers, a physical therapist with a special focus on treating children.
Working with a physical therapist who understands pediatric development is important because children are not simply smaller versions of adults. Their bodies, movement patterns, attention spans, and developmental needs are different.
Dr. Avery Meyers works with children and families to identify movement challenges and develop individualized treatment plans based on each child’s needs. Treatment may address developmental delays, strength, balance, coordination, mobility, walking patterns, pediatric orthopedic concerns, and other movement related challenges.
Our goal is to make physical therapy a positive experience for both children and their families while helping each child work toward meaningful goals.
Pediatric Physical Therapy for Families in Newton and the Surrounding Area
Families should not have to travel far to find pediatric physical therapy near Newton, KS. Empower Physical Therapy provides pediatric care locally at our Newton clinic, making it convenient for families in Newton and surrounding communities.
Having pediatric physical therapy available close to home can make appointments easier to incorporate into busy family schedules. It also allows parents to build an ongoing relationship with a local provider who can answer questions and help them understand their child’s movement development.
Whether you have concerns about your baby’s milestones, your toddler’s walking, or your older child’s balance and coordination, our Newton team can help determine the appropriate next step.
When Should I Schedule a Pediatric Physical Therapy Evaluation?
You do not need to know exactly what is causing your child’s difficulty before contacting a physical therapist. In fact, that is one of the reasons an evaluation can be helpful.
If you find yourself repeatedly wondering whether your child’s movement is typical, consider discussing your concerns with a pediatric physical therapist. You can also seek an evaluation if your child has been diagnosed with a condition that may affect movement or if another healthcare provider has recommended physical therapy.
Parents should feel comfortable asking questions about developmental milestones. No concern is too small to discuss when it involves your child’s development.
Pediatric Physical Therapy in Newton, KS
If your child is having difficulty reaching movement milestones, Empower Physical Therapy in Newton, KS is here to help. Pediatric physical therapy can help identify the movement skills that may be challenging your child and provide individualized activities designed to improve their abilities.
From babies learning to roll and sit to toddlers working toward independent walking and older children developing balance and coordination, physical therapy for developmental delays can support children at many different stages.
Our Newton pediatric specialist, Dr. Avery Meyers, works with families to provide personalized care that supports each child’s individual needs. If you are concerned about your child’s development, you do not have to wait and wonder. A pediatric physical therapy evaluation can help you understand what your child is doing well, where they may need additional support, and what steps you can take to help them continue progressing.
Empower Physical Therapy Newton
715 Medical Center Dr. STE 300
Newton, KS 67114
316-283-7187
Click here to schedule a pediatric physical therapy appointment at our Newton location.
