BuildingBalance & Coordination Skills
Does your child have difficulty walking? Do they struggle to hold onto things, or have poor posture? Balance and coordination issues may be an underlying cause— and a pediatric physical therapist can help your child to navigate the world with confidence!
Smart Start
Building Balance & Coordination
Numerous systems in the body are responsible for ensuring proper balance and coordination. This includes the system of the inner ear, major muscle groups and other senses like vision and hearing.
While a bit of clumsiness is normal in young children first learning the skills to crawl and walk, extended delays may signify that something in one of these systems is amiss, which can lead to balance and coordination problems. With the help of a physical therapy evaluation, a licensed therapist can help to determine the nature of the delay and work with your child on a personalized plan of care to help them achieve their milestones.
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Signs of Balance & Coordination Difficulties
Wondering if your child may be facing balance and coordination difficulties? While a bit of clumsiness every now and again is normal for younger children, some of the following indicators may suggest that a physical therapy evaluation could be helpful. These include:
- A child facing developmental delays, especially with crawling and walking
- A pattern of stiff movement when walking.
- Avoidance of playing roughly, or exercising extreme caution on playground equipment that requires advanced motor skills.
- Falling frequently and taking time to recover from being off-balance.
- Avoiding climbing stairs.
- Struggling with “scaling” movements, such as throwing a ball gently.
- Experiencing frequent spells of dizziness or wooziness.
Wondering About Developmental Milestones?
Have questions about your child’s development, or wondering if a certain diagnosis may be a fit? Try out our developmental screening tool— it’s a fast, free way to get a snapshot of your child’s progress on his or her developmental milestones.