Children

Medical and Physical Conditions in Children

• Editorially Reviewed
• Evidence Based
• Patient Focused

Written and reviewed by the DrSensory editorial team against cited evidence and national clinical guidelines · How we write and who reviews it · Last updated August 27, 2026

This section covers neurological, movement, and physical conditions affecting children — from cerebral palsy and epilepsy to hypotonia, coordination difficulties, and connective tissue conditions. Some are diagnosed at birth or in infancy; others emerge as a child develops or follows an injury. What they share is that they affect how a child moves, participates, and manages daily life, and that occupational, physical, and speech therapy are frequently involved alongside medical care. Two things matter across almost all of them: getting an accurate diagnosis early enough to act on it, and understanding that a diagnosis describes what’s happening rather than determining what a child will be able to do.

Conditions covered here

Three things worth knowing across this section

1 · A diagnosis names a picture. It doesn’t always explain it.

Hypotonia, delayed motor milestones, and ataxia are all descriptions of what’s observed, not causes. Where one of these is given, ask what’s being done to find out why — for example a neurological exam, genetic testing, or tests for metabolic and thyroid conditions. Some causes need their own treatment, and many need ongoing care and monitoring.⁠^1,2,3

2 · Early diagnosis has changed for several of these conditions.

International guidelines established in 2017 that cerebral palsy can be diagnosed before six months’ corrected age, where it was historically made between 12 and 24 months. That matters because the guideline calls for diagnosis as early as possible, so that CP-specific early intervention can start while the infant brain is most adaptable.⁠⁴

If your child has motor concerns in infancy, that’s a reason to act rather than wait.⁠⁵

3 · Loss of previously acquired skills is different from delay.

Therapy across these conditions

Most involve one or more of occupational, physical, and speech therapy, and the emphasis differs by condition.

• Physical therapy — mobility, strength, balance, gait, positioning, and equipment → Find a physical therapist
• Occupational therapy — hand function, daily living skills, seating, adaptive equipment, sensory processing → Find an occupational therapist
• Speech-language pathology — communication including AAC, and feeding and swallowing → Find a speech-language pathologist

For cerebral palsy and developmental coordination disorder, the approaches with the best support are goal-directed and task-specific — practicing the actual activity a child wants to do, at high intensity, rather than working on components in isolation.⁠^6,7

RelatedTherapy guides by condition

Access

Under three in the US: early intervention. The evaluation is free, services are free or low-cost depending on the state, and a parent can refer their own child without a doctor’s referral.⁠^8,3

From three: school district services. Request an evaluation in writing. → IEPs and 504 plans⁠⁹

Alongside: private therapy, and specialist medical care through your pediatrician or a specialist clinic.

Related topics

Areas that overlap with the conditions on this page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources

1. MedlinePlus (National Library of Medicine). Hypotonia. Checked October 6, 2026.
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   “Hypotonia means decreased muscle tone” and “is often a sign of a worrisome problem”; causes range from brain, nerve and muscle disorders to genetic conditions and congenital hypothyroidism; a neurologist evaluates, geneticists may help, the tests depend on the suspected cause, and many of the underlying disorders “require ongoing care and support.”
2. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Ataxia. “The term ataxia primarily describes a set of symptoms”, and it “can be a symptom of another condition”. Checked October 6, 2026.
3. American Physical Therapy Association (ChoosePT). Physical Therapy Guide to Developmental Delay. Checked October 6, 2026.
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   Developmental delay “describes when young children are slower than their peers to reach milestones” and may result from conditions such as Down syndrome or cerebral palsy, or occur without one; early intervention programs for birth to 3 “are free or offered at a reduced cost for eligible children.”
4. Novak I, Morgan C, Adde L, et al. Early, accurate diagnosis and early intervention in cerebral palsy: advances in diagnosis and treatment. JAMA Pediatrics. 2017;171(9):897–907. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2017.1689 (PMID 28715518).
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   International clinical practice guideline: diagnosis, historically made between 12 and 24 months, “now can be made before 6 months’ corrected age” from history, neuroimaging and standardized neurological and motor assessments, and should be made as early as possible so that CP-specific early intervention can “optimize neuroplasticity”; in high-income countries 2 in 3 people with cerebral palsy walk, 3 in 4 talk, and 1 in 2 have normal intelligence.
5. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC’s Developmental Milestones. “Don’t wait. If your child is not meeting one or more milestones, has lost skills he or she once had, or you have other concerns, act early. Talk with your child’s doctor”. Checked October 6, 2026.
6. Novak I, Morgan C, Fahey M, et al. State of the evidence traffic lights 2019: systematic review of interventions for preventing and treating children with cerebral palsy. Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports. 2020;20(2):3. doi:10.1007/s11910-020-1022-z (PMID 32086598).
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   Goal-directed and task-specific training are rated effective; the effective approaches share practice of real-life tasks, chosen by the child, “at a high intensity”, while passive and generic motor interventions are less effective.
7. Blank R, Barnett AL, Cairney J, et al. International clinical practice recommendations on the definition, diagnosis, assessment, intervention, and psychosocial aspects of developmental coordination disorder. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology. 2019;61(3):242–285. doi:10.1111/dmcn.14132 (PMID 30671947). For developmental coordination disorder, goal-oriented, task-specific (activity-oriented) approaches yield “better functional performance outcomes in less time” than training underlying functions.
8. U.S. Department of Education, IDEA Part C regulations. 34 CFR 303.303, Referral procedures and 34 CFR 303.521, System of payments and fees. Parents are named as a primary referral source for early intervention; evaluation and assessment are carried out at public expense with no fees, while a state may charge sliding-scale fees for services. Checked October 6, 2026.
9. U.S. Department of Education, IDEA Part B regulations. 34 CFR 300.101, Free appropriate public education and 34 CFR 300.301, Initial evaluations. The school system’s duty begins “no later than the child’s third birthday”, and “either a parent of a child or a public agency may initiate a request for an initial evaluation.” Checked October 6, 2026.

Medical disclaimer. This page is for general educational purposes and does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider about your child. If your child has lost skills they previously had, contact their doctor promptly.