As parents, it can sometimes be difficult to know whether your child’s physical development is progressing as expected. You may notice challenges with balance, coordination, running, jumping, handwriting, or participating confidently in sports and playground activities. A comprehensive assessment can help identify areas where support may be beneficial — and one of the most trusted tools used by paediatric physiotherapists is the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, (BOT-3).
What is a BOT-3 assessment?
The BOT-3 is a standardised assessment designed to evaluate motor skills in children and adolescents. It helps physiotherapists understand how a child is performing compared to others their age and can identify strengths as well as areas requiring support.
At our Manly Vale physiotherapy clinic, our titled paediatric physiotherapist may use the BOT-3 as part of a detailed assessment when concerns arise around gross motor skills, coordination, balance, or physical participation. Gross motor skills are the larger body movements needed for activities such as balancing, running, jumping, hopping, throwing and catching. These skills are important for everyday activities, school participation, sports, and confidence.
The BOT-3 looks at a wide range of movement skills, including:
- Balance and coordination
- Running speed and agility
- Strength and endurance
- Ball skills
- Fine motor control and coordination
Why your child could benefit from doing a BOT-3 assessment
The assessment is engaging and child-friendly, using fun movement tasks and activities. Results provide valuable information that can guide therapy goals, school recommendations, and home-based activities to support development.
For families accessing the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), the BOT-3 can also be useful in documenting functional challenges and demonstrating therapy needs. Standardised assessments may assist in supporting therapy reports and providing measurable outcomes over time.
Following the assessment, your physiotherapist will explain the results clearly and develop an individualised treatment plan tailored to your child’s needs. Therapy may focus on improving strength, coordination, balance, motor planning, confidence, and participation in everyday activities.
Early identification and support can make a significant difference to a child’s physical development and self-esteem. If you have concerns about your child’s movement skills, coordination, or physical confidence, a paediatric physiotherapy assessment can provide helpful answers and practical strategies.
Our clinic is committed to helping children build the skills and confidence they need to move, play, and participate successfully at home, school, and in the community.
If you have concerns about your child’s movement or physical development, our APA titled paediatric physiotherapist Fiona Elliott can help you further. To book an appointment, call our reception team on 02 9907 0321 or visit our booking page.
By Fiona Elliott
Fiona Elliott is an APA Titled Paediatric Physiotherapist at Total Physiotherapy Manly Vale. She has expertise in the treatment of children from infants to high school. She commonly treats children with torticollis, plagiocephaly, toe-walking, musculoskeletal pain and dysfunction, developmental delay and gross motor issues, hypermobility spectrum disorder and Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, Juvenile Arthritis, Developmental Coordination Disorder and movement issues related to Autism Spectrum Disorder and ADHD. Fiona is experienced in paediatric exercise prescription and a wide range of gentle hands-on treatment modalities including dry needling, visceral manipulation and craniosacral therapy.
