Psychomotor therapy is a clinical intervention that promotes the rehabilitation of sensory-motor, cognitive, and emotional functions to support overall development and well-being. It addresses motor and somatic difficulties such as body perception, posture, balance, muscle tone, manual dexterity, coordination, and praxis. It also targets cognitive domains including attention, executive functions, and memory, as well as visual-spatial and perceptual skills, while further supporting handwriting skills.
Psychomotor therapists work with infants, children and adolescents. This therapeutic practice is characterized by preventive, diagnostic, and rehabilitative interventions for individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders, behavioral difficulties, movement disorders, and psychomotor dysfunctions associated with neurological or psychiatric conditions.
The most commonly addressed conditions include Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD), developmental dysgraphia, and other learning disabilities.
What do psychomotor therapy sessions target?
Psychomotor therapy helps children strengthen a wide range of developmental skills by focusing on:
- Gross and fine motor development to support coordination, precision, and functional independence.
- Hand dominance to establish a stable and efficient use of the preferred hand.
- Body schema integration and muscle tone regulation to improve posture, stability, and control.
- Organization of movements and gestures in space to enhance coordination and spatial awareness.
- Control of body movements and reactions for better self-regulation and motor planning.
- Spatial and temporal organization to develop an organized perception of space, time, and sequencing.
- Visual-perceptual and visual-constructive skills to support learning, problem-solving, and everyday functioning.
- Handwriting skills through improved graphomotor control and planning.
- Cognitive functions such as attention, memory, planning, and problem-solving.
- Impulse regulation in both cognitive and motor responses.
- Social and behavioural skills to foster self-confidence, emotional regulation, and positive interactions.
When to Refer to Psychomotor Therapy?
A referral is appropriate when a child, adolescent, or adult presents difficulties in one or more of the following areas:
- Motor development
- Delays in crawling, walking, or other motor milestones
- Difficulties with coordination, balance, and gross motor movement
- Fine motor challenges (e.g., handwriting, using scissors, manipulating small objects)
- Learning difficulties
- Attention and concentration difficulties
- Memory challenges
- Impulsivity, lack of strategies, and difficulty with planning/organization
- Visual–spatial difficulties
- Difficulties with visual perceptual analysis
- Handwriting concerns: illegibility, slowness, poor fluency
- Difficulties in reading and writing
- Psychomotor regulation
- Issues with muscle tone regulation (hypotonia or hypertonia)
- Body schema integration difficulties
- Posture and balance concerns
- Laterality (hand dominance) issues
- Behavioural and emotional regulation
- Impulse control difficulties
- Anxiety or emotional distress expressed through motor agitation
- Challenges with self-regulation and managing emotions
- Neurodevelopmental disorders
- Autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
- Global developmental delay
- Developmental coordination disorder (dyspraxia / DCD)
- Developmental dysgraphia
- Attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
- Rehabilitation support
- Following neurological events
- In cases of genetic conditions
- Intellectual disabilities
- After trauma affecting motor or psychomotor functioning
Who can refer to Psychomotor Therapy?
- Medical doctors: paediatricians, neurologists, psychiatrists, general practitioners.
- Other specialists: occupational therapists, speech therapists, physiotherapists, psychologists, educators, teachers (with observation reports).
- Parents: in many countries, families themselves can consult directly without a formal medical referral.





