DS still not moving at 12 months

[knitting774]

The HV has referred my DS to a physio because he's still not moving about at 12 months. He can't go from lying to sitting, doesn't crawl or bum shuffle, doesn't go on all fours, doesn't bear weight on his legs, doesn't roll much and has no interest in moving - just sits still on his mat and plays with his toys.

I don't know much about what physios do, but will they be able to tell me whether there is anything physically wrong with my DS? Are they qualified to check for things like hip dysplasia?

The first appointment is next month and I'm feeling extremely anxious. Thank you.

HV apps are very few and far between.

Use that magic device in your hand and educate yourself on basic child development.

What is your problem @MyGorramShip? I did flag my concerns to the HV and she referred me to a paediatric physio, who will surely know a lot more about this sort of thing than a GP anyway

The GP may have views the HV would never think of.

Last time I took my DS to the GP for something else they said they didn’t know much about babies, so I doubt it.

Op I'm a children's physio. As above posters have said many children get to things in their own time and not necessarily in line with the "average" expected times for milestones, this includes speech and cognitive development as well as motor skills like crawling standing and walking. It doesn't mean there is anything wrong.

The reason you've been referred is because your son is taking longer than average and sometimes there are physical reasons for this which physios are qualified to look for. In the case of finding something which needs intervention your son would likely be referred by the physio to the relevant specialist.

In the majority of cases we can reassure you after a physical exam and give you ideas as to how you might help your son learn to move more independently. We would then monitor until progress was being made

Thank you @physwizz, that is helpful. What sort of physical things will they be looking for that may need intervention?

@knitting774

The GP may have views the HV would never think of.

Last time I took my DS to the GP for something else they said they didn’t know much about babies, so I doubt it.

I'd see a different gp then!

@SlidesAndLadders that’s a really good website, thank you.

@bloodywhitecat sounds very similar to my DS. What does the physio think could be the issue out of interest?

@knitting774

Thank you *@physwizz*, that is helpful. What sort of physical things will they be looking for that may need intervention?

Things that would make it physically harder for your son compared with other children his age.

That can be to do with bone structure, muscle tone or ligament laxity. More often than not these are just normal genetic variations (for example -and this is only hypothetical- if you or little one's dad were particularly flexible) then it's harder for him than for babies with less flexibility.

Other times there's nothing to be found and in any case the management is the same- practice practice and practice

Thanks @physwizz. Would they be able to tell if there was anything seriously wrong?

@MyGorramShip

HV apps are very few and far between.

Use that magic device in your hand and educate yourself on basic child development.

As are GP appointments, at the moment. I’ve had three children in three different areas. We have always been told that the first port of call with development concerns about a baby/toddler is the HV. The one time I saw a GP about an issue like this I was referred to my HV. The OP obviously is aware of the basics of child development, which is why she knows there is a potential issue and has seen her HV. But if it makes you feel good to make someone who is asking for advice feel shit about themselves, crack on I guess.

@knitting774

Thanks *@physwizz*. Would they be able to tell if there was anything seriously wrong?

Yes they will.

And if you still feel in your gut that something is not right then you say so. We see many many children and therefore amount a good amount of experience, but as with anything, your instincts as a parent are usually right and shouldn't be dismissed.

If you're on Instagram I really recommend the milestones and motherhood account - she is a paediatric physio

My daughter never crawled and was a late walker finally taking her first steps at 22 months. the GP said I was worrying unnecessarily but once I got a referral to paediatric physio she was diagnosed with low muscle tone (at far end of normal range) and poor rotation in her hips. She had to do exercises and we enrolled her in tumble tots a children's fun movement group. SHe is an adult now , has a good job and social life (pre covid) loves hiking and travelling only still does not like climbing ladders, swimming and riding a bike.

Good advice from physwizz. Physios are the best people to be referred to in this instance as they are the most experienced to assess movement, muscle tone and strength and flexibility. In my professional experience a physio will more likely pick up a developmental problem than a paediatrician. They will then refer to a paediatrician if needed.
However, children all develop at different speeds, so it's more likely that your LO just needs time and practise

He has low muscle tone, lifting him or holding him when he was tiny was like trying to get a good hold on a bag of water, we had feeding problems and he took longer to wean as he had very little strength in his jaw/facial muscles but his strength is increasing slowly.

We also are under the care of a physio as DS has DiGeorge syndrome. From all that I’ve read I’d say-

1. Crawling isn’t even seen as a milestone so don’t worry about it.
2. Fact he can sit up is a great sign.
3. If you’re worried about learning disabilities it’s more about being delayed in everything (speech, fine motor etc), not just gross motor
4. If he can move both sides of his body I would doubt it’s something like cerebral palsy
5. There are lots of causes of slow gross motor development that aren’t really scary (maybe I’m saying this from the perspective of a mother of a kid with health problems) - eg hyper mobility. The treatment for these is just physio.

All that being said I would say to push for a paeds appointment but not to panic. As PP said a lot of babies with no health conditions at all develop on the slower end of things.

Jesus Christ Gorram, relax, have a cup of tea or something.

Sounds like the paed physio is going to be the gateway here; maybe just continue practicing it with him between now and then.

Dd was same. We went to the physio but nothing was wrong. She got there eventually. Obviously you are going to be worried until you know more.

When I worked as a HV, I had a GP on my caseload. She told me that they had one lecture about babies and child development when she was training.

It's a common misconception to think GPs are knowledgeable about everything. The GPs I worked with, frequently sought my opinion about babies.

@knitting774 I'm sure the paed physio is the right healthcare professional for this referral. I hope everything is okay for your DS.

Paeds physio will assess your DC and very well qualified to do so. They will refer to paediatrian if required. Hope the referral isn't too long a wait xx

What does your DS like to play with? What would make him want to get himself across a room? A kitten, maybe? Sometimes a child has everything they want where they are, sometimes parents are so good at interpreting their every little sound that they don't need to talk.

Thanks so much for the advice, I really appreciate it.

DS is progressing normally on his fine motor skills and communication - it’s just the gross motor that he’s very behind on. In my opinion he uses both sides of his body equally. He just doesn’t seem bothered about getting across the room. If toys are out of reach he won’t try and get to them - he’ll just start crying.

@knitting774

Thanks so much for the advice, I really appreciate it.

DS is progressing normally on his fine motor skills and communication - it’s just the gross motor that he’s very behind on. In my opinion he uses both sides of his body equally. He just doesn’t seem bothered about getting across the room. If toys are out of reach he won’t try and get to them - he’ll just start crying.

Normal progress in communication and fine motor skills is keeping your DS well occupied. There could well be physical reasons (pain etc) for no movement - or you might just have a child who is perfectly happy playing on the spot.

What happens if you move his favourite toy slightly out of reach and leave him to cry for 10 minutes? Or take away all toys and put a new toy just out of reach? Does he have siblings? Or can you meet up with another mum and slightly older child?

No idea if it'll help, but can you take him swimming?

What is his speech like? Is he starting to make sounds like mamamama & dadadadada? Have you had his hips checked? I wasn't making any effort to stand, crawl or roll at 12 months, turned out I had dislocated hips, spent most of the next year either on traction or in spica casts, went for surgery to pin hips, was put under anaesthetic, hips were Xrayed & they had both gone back in, started crawling within 3 days & walked a month later.