Therapy explained
GMFM and Peabody: how motor tests help your child
Two standardised tests anchor how we assess motor development — the GMFM and the Peabody scales. Here's what the abbreviations mean, how testing works, and how a score becomes a therapy plan.
Every parent wants clarity about their child's development — especially when it comes to movement. At our centre, two proven assessments give that clarity: the Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM) and the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales (currently in their third version, PDMS-3). Both feed directly into ORCA — Objective Reasoning & Clinical Architecture, the framework we use to turn observations into a plan.
What the GMFM measures
The GMFM is a standardised observation test of a child's gross motor skills. It was originally developed for children with cerebral palsy and is also validated for other motor impairments, including Down syndrome. The test follows the developmental steps of roughly the first five years — lying, sitting, crawling, standing and walking — and scores each task from 0 to 3 depending on how fully the child performs the movement.
Crucially, the GMFM doesn't compare your child with other children. It compares your child with themselves over time — which makes it very sensitive to progress, and ideal for showing whether therapy is working. It's a core part of our assessment process.
What the Peabody scales measure
The Peabody scales (PDMS-3) are a norm-referenced developmental test covering both gross and fine motor skills, suitable from roughly three months to five-and-a-half years. It looks at body control, locomotion, object control (like ball play), hand dexterity and eye–hand coordination — each rated against what is typical for the child's age.
The scales have evolved through three versions since 1983; the current third edition brings updated tasks, fresh normative data and a more practical test structure. At our centre the PDMS-3 is used for initial diagnostics and goal planning, while the GMFM tracks progress over time.
Why objective testing matters
Standardised tests turn "we think he's getting stronger" into numbers that can be tracked, compared and acted on. That helps us plan therapy — and it gives parents solid ground to stand on.
What a good assessment answers
- Where does my child stand today, in concrete skills?
- Which abilities are within reach next — and which come later?
- Is the current therapy actually producing measurable change?
- What should the next block focus on?
From scores to a therapy plan
Test results are the start, not the end. Based on the assessment, we agree concrete goals with you — and those goals decide which tools we reach for and when. The toolkit is broad: DMI — Dynamic Movement Intervention, NISE-Stim and TASES electrical stimulation, TheraSuit therapy, the Spider Cage, sensory integration work (including astronaut training, deep pressure and vestibular input), Galileo vibration training, TheraTogs, and classic paediatric physiotherapy — including the Apexi-Stretch developed at our centre.
Goals can be as varied as learning to sit independently, improving trunk stability, using a hand more purposefully, or training balance while walking. Finely graded interim goals — "five seconds of free standing", "controlled weight shift in four-point kneeling" — are just as valuable. Each step builds on the last, from postural control through dynamic movement to complex everyday function, and in intensive blocks the assessments are woven in so that knowing and doing go hand in hand.
Parents as part of the team
A central element of our approach is family-centred care. Your observations, wishes and experience carry the same weight as the test results: we explain findings transparently, listen to your perspective, and set therapy goals together.
"Parents are the experts on their child. Our job is to give that expertise numbers, direction and momentum."
— The Apexa teamIf you ever want a test or a score explained in detail, just ask — we'd much rather over-explain than leave you guessing. Step by step, milestone by milestone.
