18 to 36 months
The toddler years can be the best or the worst years parents experience. Best times, because your little one is walking independently, blabbing and speaking. And boy do kids say the funniest things! However, these toddler years can also be heartbreaking and very challenging when your little one is unable to walk, climb stairs and run with their peers.
Typical development
| Gross motor skill milestones | Age range for start of skill |
|---|---|
| Walking up stairs with rail, 2 feet per step | 18 months to 2 years old |
| Running with wide base | 2 years old |
| Kick a ball | 2 to 2.5 years old |
| Jumping with 2 feet | 2.5 to 3 years old |
If a child is not able to jump off the ground with 2 feet by 4 years old, then they are considered to be delayed in their gross motor skills. Another common concern parents would have is they notice that their child is tripping and falling over.
Common parental concerns
- Your child is refusing or unable to take weight through both feet equally to stand.
- Your child is bottom shuffling to move around in the house.
- Your child is walking on their tiptoes most of the time.
- Your child is not able to get up off the ground independently by themselves without holding a support.
- Your child is flapping their arms, posturing or spinning around when excited.
This age group of toddlers can often present with trauma related fractures to the arm and leg.
Common conditions that may contribute
Common Conditions that children aged 18 months to 36 months old could have that contribute to their delayed gross motor skills include:
Treatments that may support
Treatments that may support children aged 18 to 36 months old with delayed gross motor skills include:
What to do when you are concerned.
See your Family Doctor to discuss your concerns about your toddler, they may then
refer you to a Paediatrician or a Paediatric Physiotherapist to assess your child. Here
at Sydney Kids Physio, you do not need a doctor’s referral to see one of our Expert
Paediatric Physiotherapists. Just reach out to us:
@sydneykidsphysio on Facebook
@sydneykidsphysio-neeshagan on Instagram
The importance of Special Needs referral and support for toddlers.
Children with Special Needs should be referred for a Developmental Assessment at their local Children’s Hospital between the ages of 18 months to 3 years old. A Developmental Assessment will evaluate a child’s overall development across gross motor skills, fine motor skills, speech, and language skills to determine the support they require. Early assessments ensure that children receive the appropriate interventions and support well before they start school.
Intensive Early Intervention Paediatric Physiotherapy is most crucial in children under 3 years old, as studies have shown that this period is when brain plasticity is most receptive to learning new movement patterns. Early intervention can significantly improve a child’s gross motor skills and overall development, helping them achieve their best potential and preventing future complications. Ensuring timely assessments and interventions can provide a strong foundation for a child’s future growth and learning.
Information for parents
As parents, you know your child best. If you feel and see something happening in your child which makes you worry or concerns you, trust your gut instinct. Even if the medical professionals, friends, family and well wishers say to you that “you are overreacting and paranoid”, it doesn’t hurt to speak to a trained and experienced Paediatric Physiotherapist about your concerns for your child.
Here at Sydney Kids Physio, our Expert Paediatric Physiotherapists have been helping families and children since 2006. We see babies as young as 1 week old, including premature babies who might actually be 0 weeks old for corrected gestational age, to assess their gross motor skills development to make sure that babies aren’t delayed in their gross motor skills because of underlying neurodevelopmental conditions. The most common reasons why babies are delayed include low muscle tone, undiagnosed developmental delay, Cerebral Palsy and rare genetic disorders. Early Intervention Paediatric Physiotherapy can effectively manage and treat these neurodevelopmental conditions to help babies achieve their best potential and prevent secondary complications such as behavioural tantrums due to frustration, muscle contractures and neurological scoliosis.
The common misconceptions we see in the community are parents are told their baby is just small and so they are weak or that their baby is just lazy and they will move when they are ready to move. In reality, Paediatric Physiotherapy can help babies improve their core strength, balance and coordination to help babies learn to roll, sit, crawl and walk by 18 months old.
If you are concerned about your baby’s gross motor skills development, reach out to Sydney Kids Physio to speak to one of our Expert Paediatric Physiotherapists. You don’t need a doctor’s referral to see a Paediatric Physiotherapist in Australia. Take advantage of our 15 minute FREE PHONE CONSULTATION.
We're only ever a phone call away.
Information for specialists
As Paediatric Physiotherapists, we are often working closely with General Practitioners, Paediatricians, Neurologists, Orthopeadic Specialists, Paediatric Occupational Therapists, Speech Pathologists, Dietitians, Feeding Therapists, Psychologists, Behavioural Therapists, Optometrists, Behavioural Optometrists, Orthotists and Podiatrists to help little ones achieve their best potentials.
Unfortunately, there are still many healthcare professionals who are unaware of what Paediatric Physiotherapists can do to help children with neurodevelopmental conditions improve their gross motor skills to achieve their milestone. The common myth that Healthcare professionals have about Physiotherapy is that a child has to be 2 years old before they can be considered to be delayed in their gross motor skills to need Early Intervention Paediatric Physiotherapy. In reality, even premature babies and newborns as young as 1 week old can benefit from Early intervention Paediatric Physiotherapy.
The issue with delays in a child accessing Paediatric Physiotherapy services is the missed opportunities to help a child achieve their gross motor skills milestones within normal chronological age range and at times resulting in a child not being able to walk. Early Intervention in the first 3 years of life takes advantage of brain neuroplasticity to change the developmental trajectory of a child with neurological conditions.A child is never too young to start Paediatric Physiotherapy.
If you are a Medical Professionals seeing a baby who seems to have poor head control, low muscle tone, high muscle tone or is missing their gross motor milestones, it is worthwhile referring them for Neurodevelopmental Physiotherapy to promote their gross motor skills.
Reach out to Sydney Kids Physio to speak to one of our Expert Paediatric Physiotherapists about your concerns about the child you are seeing to find out if we can help improve their gross motor skills to allow them to increase their social participation with their peers and family. Together we can help more children build great foundations for bright futures.
We're only ever a phone call away.
Welcome
The Dream Team
It takes a village to raise a child, and that saying is never more true when you have a child with Special Needs. At Sydney Kids Physio, you can be assured that our team is committed to helping you equip your child with the skills they need to achieve their best potential.
Our Team led by Neesha Gan, an Expert Paediatric Physiotherapist with over 26 years of Physiotherapy experience, lives by our core values to deliver Expert Knowledge with Empathy, Respect and Transparent Communication. We understand that the journey of parenting is a lifelong journey filled with the greatest joys and the deepest sorrows which can be overwhelming and daunting at times. We have walked that journey together with thousands of families, and we believe that working together, we can and must create great foundations for bright futures. We look forward to being a part of your family’s journey.
