What’s the Rush?

Our brains house over 1 trillion neurons, enabling us to stimulate movements, respond to the environment, and process information. When a child is born, these neurons form neural pathways in order to retain knowledge and skills. As children grow, their brains continue to change and develop—a process called "plasticity"—allowing them to learn new skills, change old habits, and adjust to new information. Although plasticity occurs over an individual’s lifetime, different types of plasticity dominate during certain periods of one’s life and are less prevalent during other periods.

This is particularly important for children with early motor delays. Children will always find a way to move and adjust to their environments. Children with early motor delays tend to do this by using atypical movement patterns. For example, a child with an early motor delay may support themselves primarily on one hand or foot instead of distributing their weight evenly.

When this delay is recognized, therapy intervention is crucial. Physical, occupational, and speech therapy can guide a child’s brain to relearn movements and break old habits. During intensive therapy, a therapist will facilitate the child’s muscle movements so that they sit up, crawl, and walk using correct movement patterns. Repetition will instill these movements in the brain, and eventually the child will be able to perform them independently.

Research has shown that the rate of human learning is most rapid during the first 24 months of life. Therefore, early intervention and therapy are essential if a delay is suspected so that each child has the chance to master new movements and reach their greatest potential.