Every child develops at their own pace. However, delays in development could be a potential indicator of an underlying problem. Different areas of development include language, speech, vision, motor, cognitive, social, and emotional skills. It is essential to consult your pediatrician in case you notice delays in your child’s development so that assessment can be conducted. Early assessment and intervention can help your child overcome developmental difficulties and progress faster.

Motor difficulties may be identified in school or at home when the child is unable to perform age-appropriate tasks, like catching a ball, zipping/unzipping a bag, or buttoning a shirt. In school, the child may have trouble holding a pencil which could affect their writing, or in sports activities.

Types of Motor Skills

There are two kinds of motor skills: Fine and gross motor. Fine motor involves the ability to use small muscles like in hands and fingers and gross motor involves large muscles of the body. Fine motor skills are important for manipulating objects, like holding a pencil, working with objects, and drawing. Gross motor skills are used to sit, walk, jump, or climb.

Causes of Developmental Delay in Motor Skills

There could be several reasons for motor skills delays, like premature birth or motor disability.

Here are some of the conditions that could hamper motor development:

• Cerebral Palsy: This condition is caused by brain injury, typically during fetal development. It involves delayed speech, involuntary muscle movement, muscle spasm, or tightness.
• Ataxia: This condition involves difficulties in muscle coordination.
• Muscular Dystrophy: This is a genetic disorder that causes progressive degeneration of muscles.
• Spina Bifida: This is a genetic condition that results in partial/total loss of control of the lower part of the body. Individuals may also experience language and learning difficulties.
• Myopathy: This involves difficulties in movement, muscle weakness, and sometimes muscle stiffness.
• Comorbidity with ADHD and other learning disabilities

If your child is experiencing motor developmental delays, it is important to seek assessment for timely intervention. Children who experience motor difficulties can improve with physical and occupational therapies.

WonderGames for Motor Development

WonderTree has augmented reality games that facilitate motor and cognitive development of children, through a fun and immersive experience. Our games Bubble Pop, Scoop’d, Flash Dash, Kick Ups, Astro Blocks and Balance-It target motor skills development. This includes upper and lower limbic movement, bilateral coordination, hand-eye coordination, lateral movement, attention, balance, spatial orientation, etc.

You can download WonderGames for your child now! Visit our website to download: www.wondertree.co