Gross motor involves the use of large muscles for participating in movements such as walking, running, jumping, climbing, crawling, balancing, swinging, kicking, lifting throwing and any other physical activity.
According to Hogben J, 1981, a child must be able to form judgments regarding various kinds of incoming data and respond quickly with appropriate and accurate muscle movements using ongoing sensory feedback. Hogben also talks about the gross motor memory being vital to allow a child to recall the muscular steps used in the past for successful performance. Numerous muscles and muscles groups must be properly and rapidly engaged, so that the right muscles are accomplishing the appropriate necessary steps at the right time. For some children these processes can be nearly instinctive and for other continual training, therapy and discipline is required to reach the age equivalent level.
Children are expected to perform certain physical activities at a given age such as, a 4 year old child should be able to jump 24-inches, stand on one foot for 8-10 seconds, hop on one foot at least 6 hops, catch a ball from 5 feet away and jump down from a height of 24-inches and land on both feet. By the age of 4.5 they should be able to descend stairs by leading alternate feet. As they mature, the skill should also mature accordingly. A five year old should be able to skip, gallop and throw a ball at about 10 feet. Due to delays or illness, some children are unable to achieve these millstones.
Poor gross motor skills have many social implications. Other than the child is unable to perform certain age appropriate skills it contributes to poor self esteem. The child also may give up trying due to constant failures in gross motor skills, may not attempt to explore his surrounding, may be excluded by his/her friends from participating in team games, may not have the same experience during play as his/her peers, and may not develop appropriate social skills.
Posture ensures balance against gravity and serves as a reference frame for organizing movements (Massion, 1998). Trunk muscles are crucial to postural stability. If the child's trunk muscles are compromised or weak, it causes the child to have poor balancing skills, and poor postural control while sitting and standing. The interplaying of the systems for praxis (coordination, motor planning) and posture control allows humans to perform actions and manipulate the environment (Kuypers, 1981. If the child is unable to sit upright he/she will have a hard time to write, stay focus, or be alert or aware of the surroundings. Poor postural control also can cause the children to avoid engaging in age appropriate physical activities.
Lighthouse project provides standardized evaluations to identify specific gross motor, postural control or coordination deficits. Our weekly sessions address both the physical aspect and the social emotional impact of the gross motor delays on the child. Our professional staff are trained, have the expertise and the tools to work with your child eagerly. Please call the Lighthouse project's office for any questions or for more information.