Babies and toddlers develop differently and achieve their developmental milestones at ages depending on their muscular strength. They develop two types of motor skills, gross and fine, which are indicative of the child’s muscular development. Gross motor skills are movements associated with large muscles, including arms, legs, and trunk, while fine motor skills are associated with smaller groups, such as in the wrist and hand (Dourou, Komessariou, Riga, & Lavidas, 2017). Although experts create ideal developmental milestones depending on the age of the child, some achieve them earlier than others due to some developmental limitations.
Findings
The information contained in the table below was drawn from a parenting diary that the child’s mother maintained from birth. The information was obtained following parental consent as long as the information was used ethically and in a way that would cause any harm to the child in question.
| Age | Gross motor skills | Fine motor skills |
| 2 months | The child could not hold his head up with support
The baby delayed pushing up on tummy The baby could make minimal movement with legs and arms. |
The baby played with a soft toys |
| 4 months | The baby started pushing up while on the tummy
The baby could play with hands and legs The baby could hold the head steadily without support The baby could not Push down on legs with feet are on a hard surface The baby could not rolls over from tummy to back |
The baby could hold and shake toys, as well as swing at dangling toys
The baby could bring hands to mouth |
| months | The baby started rolling from tummy to back, but could not roll from back to stomach
The baby could not sit with support The baby could not support his weight on legs. The baby could not rock back and forth |
The baby could play with soft toys and bring them to the mouth |
| 9 month | The baby had not started crawling, but could turn from tummy to back and then back to tummy
The baby could not sit without support The baby could not stand with support |
The baby could type of keyboard |
| 12 months | The baby could not move into sitting position without support
The baby could not pull up to stand The baby just started crawling The baby could not stand alone |
The baby could hold fine objects, such as sand |
| 18 months | The baby started to stand without support
The baby could not walk
|
The baby could pull toys while crawling
The baby could drinks from a cup The baby could eat with a spoon |
| 24 months | The baby started walking without support
The baby could climb onto and down from furniture. The baby could stands on tiptoes |
The baby could throw ball overhand and even kick it.
|
Summary
From the case analysis, the baby has delayed milestone because he did not reach the developmental stages at the expected age. Also known as developmental delays, the condition involves a failure to reach one or more milestones at the anticipated time, but in most cases, it is not a cause of a medical concern (Guralnick, 2016). In many babies, a variety of ages is still normal development and the individual still manages to hit the milestone. In the case analysis, the baby has developmental delays, especially in the gross motor skills. For example, the baby crawled and walked later than his age-mates. Furthermore, even at the age of 2 years, the baby cannot walk stably for a long distance. While her mother is worried about the delays, I assured her that the baby has no medical problem and that with an effective physical activity plan, his gross motor skills will develop at the same level as his peers.
Activity Plan
I will help the baby’s mother to support the child to develop gross motor skills and hasten his development of the delayed milestones at the same pace with his peers. The beginning step is to create a physical activity plan targeted to gross motor skills development because the child has no issues with the fine motor skills. Lin and Cherng (2019) suggests that physical activity strengthens affected muscles to aid gross motor skills development and help the child to reach delayed milestones. We will engage the child in a weekly routine with different physical activities for each day, for at least two hours. The table below shows the weekly activity plan.
| Day | Activity | Description | Duration |
| Monday | “Open-ended” toys | Playing with toys, such as ribbon dancing sticks and jump ropes | Two hours |
| Tuesday | Hoping and jumping | Hop scotch and skipping lope | Two hours |
| Wednesday | Water playing | Filling water buckets and carrying, playing in a baby pool, and watering plants | Two hours |
| Thursday | Ball playing | Hitting and throwing the ball | One hour |
| Friday | Riding | Riding a bike or a scooter to aid endurance, coordination, and general strengthening.
|
Two hours |
| Saturday | Climbing | Outdoors in the park to climb uneven surfaces or at home climbing staircases | One hour |
| Sunday | Exploring | Visiting the park to explore through activities, such as lying in the grass, picking, or walking on wood chips | Two hours |
The physical activities on the table will help the baby to develop gross motor skills, which are critical to conduct every day functions, such as running, walking, skipping, and playing with other children. The everyday self-care skills, such as dressing and eating also require strong gross motor skills. Notably, the baby in the case study has developmental delays and not a medical issue that would require clinical interventions. I will work with his parents to support his development and it will take a few weeks to become stronger and more resilient.
Conclusion
I will work with the baby’s mother in the case study to support him to develop and hit the milestones at the same rate as his peers. The baby has been developing normally, but his gross motor skills have lagged behind his peers. However, with proper support and concerted physical activity, the skills will develop and hopefully catch up with his peers in terms of development. Gross motor skills are important for children because they help them to carry on with their daily activities, such as dressing, walking and playing. However, children with developmental delays could take longer than peers to develop the skills. Physical activity will help such children to develop the skills faster and hit milestones like their peers. Parents with children with delayed milestones should be proactive in helping them to develop the skills and become stronger in physical activities. They should follow up the activity plan to ensure that they are providing the affected child with adequate activities to develop gross motor skills faster.
References
Dourou, E., Komessariou, A., Riga, V., & Lavidas, K. (2017). Assessment of gross and fine motor skills in preschool children using the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales Instrument. Eur Psychomotricity J, 9, 89-113. doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2013.03.010.
Guralnick, M. J. (2016). Early intervention for young children with developmental delays: Contributions of the developmental systems approach. In Early childhood intervention (pp. 33-51). London: Routledge.
Lin, L. Y., & Cherng, R. J. (2019). Outcomes of utilizing early intervention services on the motor development of children with undefined developmental delay. Journal of Occupational Therapy, Schools, & Early Intervention, 12(2), 157-169. doi: 10.1080/19411243.2018.1512437
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