A healthy body develops growth according to age. But when you feel that your little one is “slow to learn to walk or has delayed development,” if any parents have these concerns, try to check what abnormalities cause the child to learn to walk slowly, whether it is related to physical developmental delays or not, by comparing your child with other children of the same age.
What is considered slow physical development in a child?
The term physical development refers to the body’s ability to balance and move by using large muscle groups (gross motor), such as walking, and hand-eye coordination in various activities (fine motor-adaptive). Physical developmental delay means a child develops slower than normal children of the same age. Although each child develops differently, learning usually occurs in a similar sequence, for example, most children start crawling before walking or can make sounds before speaking words.
An example of a child with delayed development is an 18-month-old who should begin to develop movement skills and interact with others using gestures or movements. Normal children start learning to walk and can walk between 9 – 15 months. But if a child is 20 months old and still cannot walk, there may be an abnormality.
Examples of how to observe your child’s physical development
1 month old: Can clench fists and keep hands in a prone position
2 months old: Can lift the head about 30 degrees, bring hands toward the midline of the body, and can open them when seeing objects
3 – 6 months old: Can move both arms and hands, loosely clench fists, lift the head more, have a stronger neck, start reaching for objects of interest, and can sit with balance for about 1 minute
7 – 9 months old: Start bringing hands and feet to the mouth, can crawl, change from prone to sitting position, sit more steadily, begin to try to hold onto things to walk, and try to pick up small objects into the palm
10 months old: Can hold onto things to walk and pick up objects
11 – 12 months old: Can stand alone briefly
15 months old: Can walk unsteadily and crawl up stairs
18 – 24 months old: Can run, walk, and go up and down stairs
3 – 5 years old: Can stand on one leg and jump on one leg and both legs
What causes delayed physical development in children?
Genetic diseases
Genetics is a biological factor related to genes inherited from parents. Genetic diseases are chromosomal abnormalities that cause developmental defects, such as Fragile X syndrome, Prader–Willi syndrome, and velocardiofacial syndrome, among others.
From prenatal environment
Such as infections, exposure to toxic substances through nutrition, and maternal illnesses, which affect the development of the embryo in the womb.
From the birth process
Complications during labor, such as premature birth, low birth weight, oxygen deprivation, and incomplete internal structures, especially the brain and brain blood vessels, which may cause cerebral ischemia.
Inappropriate caregiving
Inappropriate caregiving, malnutrition, children without parental or guardian care, living in crowded environments, poverty, abandonment, or abuse. These are postnatal environmental factors that affect child development.
Care and treatment guidelines
If abnormalities are found, consult a doctor promptly to assess the causes of developmental delays and plan treatment. If there are indications such as prematurity, low birth weight, physical health problems, or an environment not conducive to development, the doctor may refer to specialists and consider medication in some cases. Additionally, developmental promotion and training in various areas should be provided. If the child has neurological and muscular problems, physical therapy is necessary to prevent muscle atrophy and contractures. Speech problems should be managed by occupational therapists and psychologists. Moreover, parents should have sufficient knowledge and understanding of proper child-rearing for the best benefit in promoting development.
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Rehabilitation and Physical Therapy Center, Phyathai 3 Hospital, 16th Floor
Open daily from 08:00 – 19:00
Phyathai Call Center 1772 or
Tel. 0-2467-1111 ext. 1603 and 1602
