Physical Fitness
Working on fitness at a Club NF ice skating event
Fitness is all about total body health. We want our families with NF to experience their greatest chances of success in every facet of their lives.
In order to support fitness, we provide educational materials on child development as well as ideas on ways to stay in shape and work on skills commonly delayed in children with NF1.
Child development
Many children with NF1 will experience developmental delays throughout the course of their lives. The best way to keep children on the track to success is early detection and treatment of these delays.
Please download our checklist below to track each developmental milestone your child reaches. If your child does not reach a milestone by the expected age, please let us know so that we can implement an appropriate care plan to help your child succeed.
For more information on child development, please read the following fact sheets (pdfs) developed by St. Louis Children’s Hospital Physical Therapist Courtney Dunn, PT, DPT.
- Birth to 6 months (pdf)
- 6 to 12 months (pdf)
- 12 to 18 months (pdf)
- 18 to 24 months (pdf)
- 24 to 36 months (pdf)
Daily fitness and skill development
Sports are such an important part of growing up and staying active, but some of the delays experienced by children with NF1 may make certain sports difficult. Check out the following brochure to learn more about individual sports and why they are especially beneficial to children with NF1: