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Signs Your Child Might Need Physical Therapy
You might think physical therapy is mainly for injury recovery — for adults who've had knee surgery or athletes rehabbing a strain. For children, pediatric PT is something different: it supports motor development, strength, coordination, balance, and the physical foundation that underlies everything from learning to walk to keeping up on the playground.
What Pediatric Physical Therapists Do
A pediatric physical therapist (PT) evaluates and treats children with challenges in gross motor development, muscle strength and tone, balance and coordination, gait and movement patterns, and postural control.
Gross Motor Milestones: What to Watch
By 6 months: Rolls in both directions, beginning to push up on arms during tummy time.
By 12 months: Pulls to stand, cruises along furniture, beginning to walk independently or close to it.
By 18 months: Walks independently, beginning to climb, can squat to pick up objects.
By 24 months: Runs, kicks a ball, begins to jump.
By 3 years: Climbs stairs with alternating feet (with support), rides a tricycle, jumps with both feet.
By 4-5 years: Hops on one foot, skips, throws and catches a ball.
Signs That May Warrant a PT Evaluation
- Not meeting gross motor milestones at expected ages
- Walking on tiptoes consistently past age 3
- Unusual gait — waddling, toe-walking, in-toeing or out-toeing that seems significant
- Falling frequently or seeming significantly clumsier than peers
- Muscle tone that seems unusually low (floppy) or high (stiff)
- Avoiding physical play or tiring unusually quickly
- Asymmetry — consistently favoring one side of the body
- Flat feet with associated pain or tripping
- Core weakness affecting sitting posture, handwriting readiness, or endurance
Frequently Asked Questions
Does my child need a referral to see a pediatric PT?
No referral is required to get an evaluation or start services at Coral Care.
My child walks on their toes. Should I be worried?
Toe-walking is common in toddlers learning to walk. Persistent toe-walking past age 3 warrants evaluation by a PT to rule out underlying causes and address any tightness or motor patterns.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Yes — and for many children it is more effective. In-home physical therapy happens in the environment where your child actually lives: your floors, stairs, backyard, and daily routines. Skills practiced there transfer immediately to real life rather than needing to generalize from a clinic setting. Coral Care's in-home PTs are licensed pediatric specialists, and sessions are billed to insurance the same way outpatient clinic visits are.
Late bloomers typically catch up on their own within a few months, and their overall movement quality looks typical even if timing is slightly behind. A gross motor delay involves a wider gap from same-age peers, inconsistency across multiple milestones, or movement quality that looks qualitatively different — such as low muscle tone, asymmetrical movement, or significant clumsiness. If you are unsure, a PT evaluation will tell you definitively which you are dealing with.
Toe-walking is common in toddlers who are just learning to walk and usually resolves on its own. If your child is still walking on their toes consistently past age 3, or if it's happening alongside muscle stiffness, limited range of motion, or other motor concerns, a PT evaluation is a good next step. A pediatric PT can assess whether there is an underlying cause and address any tightness before it becomes harder to treat.
No referral is required to get an evaluation or start services at Coral Care. You can reach out directly and we will verify your insurance benefits before your child's first session. If your pediatrician has concerns about your child's motor development, a referral can help with insurance authorization — but it is not a requirement to get started.
