Cognitive referencing predicts that children with significant motor delays commensurate with their cognitive abilities will benefit from physical therapy and/or occupational therapy to a lesser degree than children with cognitive abilities, which are significantly higher than their motor abilities. This paper examines the key prediction of the cognitive referencing triage model: that IQ is a strong predictor of response to treatment. Thirty-nine children (three to six years old) with motor delays were divided into two groups (high IQ and low IQ) based on the McCarthy General Cognitive Index. All children received occupational therapy or physical therapy for nine months. Participants were posttested using the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales at the end of the school year to determine motor gains. Between-group comparisons, using repeated measures analysis of variance with time as a within-group factor and group (low IQ, high IQ) as a between-subjects factor, revealed no significant differences in Peabody Developmental Motor Scales z scores between groups. These results do not support the cognitive referencing model. Implications, including the potential for the cognitive referencing model to inappropriately exclude motor-delayed children from occupational therapy/physical therapy services, are discussed.