When You Walk Before You Crawl: A Case Report on the Effect of a Comprehensive Physical Therapy Plan of Care on a 15-Month Old Male with Gross Motor Developmental Delay

Background and Purpose: Developmental delay is a common condition seen in the pediatric populations that can negatively impact a child’s ability to achieve age-appropriate developmental milestones. Current literature supports Early Intervention of physical therapy (PT) as a means to address these concerns. In the pediatric population the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales-2 (PDMS-2) and the Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM-88) are common outcome assessments used to establish and track progress of the effectiveness of a physical therapy plan of care. Specific and effective interventions as part of a PT plan of care in the young pediatric population to improve gross motor ability has not been extensively researched. The purpose of this retrospective case report is to examine the impact of a comprehensive outpatient PT program for a young pediatric patient referred for concerns regarding gross motor developmental delay as well as offer insight into the use of the GMFM-88 for developmental delay. Case Description: A 15-month old male patient was referred to physical therapy for concerns regarding gross motor developmental delay. He participated in a 4 week comprehensive PT plan of care in an outpatient setting. The patient was assessed using the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales-2 (PDMS-2) and the Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM-88). Outcomes: Patient completed 7 treatment sessions comprising such interventions as neuro-developmental treatment (NDT), caregiver education, and functional training and made notable improvements in posture, mobility, and ability to achieve age-appropriate gross motor developmental skills when assessed using the PDMS-2 and GMFM-88. Discussion: The patient’s significant improvements on the PDMS-2 and GMFM-88 outcome assessments suggest that an outpatient comprehensive PT plan of care may be effective as a means to address concerns with gross motor developmental delay in the young pediatric population