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Gross Motor Skills Problems

Gross motor skills are integral in our daily lives. As children we learn the various steps taken, using our large muscles, in order to complete a task. Through muscle memory, we begin to learn and master certain athletic activities, such as jumping or running. For some children, though, this usually instinctive process is very difficult, requiring training and medical intervention.

  1. Muscular Strength

    • One condition leading to an underdevelopment of gross motor skills has to do with the strength of your muscles. For children with highly toned or hypertonic muscles, gentle gross motor skills become extremely difficult. For instance, when giving a hug, the person being hugged might feel as though they are being crushed. On the other hand, hypotonic children, whose muscles are simply too weak, tend to slouch, prefer to lie with the head down or are unable to maintain appropriate posture for certain activities. These children tend to seem sloppy as well as clumsy.

    Motor Planning

    • Motor planning is crucial in the development of gross motor skills. Children must be able to intuitively plan their gross motor skill actions. For instance, before they climb on top of a table they must be able to strategize how they will do this: which arm will reach up first, how to grasp onto the table, how to use upper body strength to lift the body onto the table. Because of the various skills involved in motor planning, there can be many different mental causes for this disorder. Some children may experience problems with reasoning, concentration or understanding relationships, such as those between muscles and ligaments. When children experience problems in this area they tend to fall from chairs or have difficulty coordinating motion. This is often caused by the neurological disorder apraxia.

    Verbal-Motor Integration and Muscle Memory

    • Sometimes children are physically able to complete tasks and strategize how to do them on their own, but they lack the ability to translate the verbal cues they are hearing or remember the tasks for an appropriate amount of time. These children can be told what to do as they are doing it, but must strongly concentrate on what they are being told in order to complete the task. They may also have a difficult time memorizing the steps needed in an activity. This can be a sign of learning disabilities or mental problems or even autism. Though most autistic children show exceptional gross and motor skills, it might be more difficult for them to translate what they are being told to do to their muscle movement.

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