Children
Medical and Physical Conditions in Children
- Editorially Reviewed
- Evidence Based
- Patient Focused
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
Neurological
Movement and development
Balance and vestibular
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 — genetic testing, metabolic screening, hearing and vision, neurological assessment. Some causes are treatable, and some change what’s monitored.
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, considerably earlier than was once thought. That matters because CP-specific intervention during the period of greatest brain plasticity produces better outcomes than waiting.
If your child has motor concerns in infancy, that’s a reason to act rather than wait.
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
The approach with the best support across most of these conditions is goal-directed and task-specific — practicing the actual activity a child wants to do, at sufficient intensity, rather than working on components in isolation.
Access
Under three in the US: early intervention, free, and a parent can refer their own child without a doctor’s referral.
From three: school district services. Request an evaluation in writing. → IEPs and 504 plans
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.
Orthopedic and movement
Posture, gait and the musculoskeletal side of the same difficulties.
Learn more →Sensory processing
Sensory and motor difficulty travel together more often than either alone.
Learn more →Speech and language
Speech is a motor act, and neurological conditions affect it directly.
Learn more →Find a therapist
Occupational, physical and speech therapists near you.
Learn more →Frequently Asked Questions
My child has been diagnosed with hypotonia. What does that mean?
When can cerebral palsy be diagnosed?
My child has lost a skill they used to have. Is that normal?
Which therapy does my child need?
How do we start therapy?
Does a diagnosis determine what my child will be able to do?
Also in this section
Disclaimer. For general educational purposes; not medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If your child has lost skills they previously had, contact their doctor promptly.