tippy toe walking

[earthmother]

Hi

Can I ask for help in regards to tippy toe walking. My dear friend believes her son is on the spectrum and I agree, however she cannot get her school district to evaluate him. He has many qualities indicative of aspergers and has also been tippy toe walking (he's age 8). Just wondering if any of you know if this can be a sign of aspergers or other spectrum disorders. I've told her to do a private eval but money is a concern. thanks

[Wyndie]

I have heard this could be a sign of constipation, not just a neurological problem. I believe it is one of the red flags to look for in ASD and there are many who do that and are not constipated. But it's an avenue to look into since it's easily remedied.

[EKS]

I have heard this could be a sign of constipation, not just a neurological problem. I believe it is one of the red flags to look for in ASD and there are many who do that and are not constipated. But it's an avenue to look into since it's easily remedied.

 

I haven't heard of this but I have heard that it can be a sign of plain old sensory integration disorder without spectrum issues.

 

Also, I don't think that a school evaluation is appropriate to diagnose any type of autism. I'm not even sure if they are legally allowed to. Does your friend have medical insurance? Unfortunately, autism related claims are excluded from many policies.

[TracyR]

I haven't heard of those things either.

 

My 5yr old walks on her tippy toes. But she's not autistic. It could be structural or neurological.

The only way to rule that out is for her to take him to an orthopedic doc. If he rules it out being structural then they look at neurological.

I'm not sure why my daughter walks on her toes we haven't investigated it further yet.

[Laurie4b]

Hi

Can I ask for help in regards to tippy toe walking. My dear friend believes her son is on the spectrum and I agree, however she cannot get her school district to evaluate him. He has many qualities indicative of aspergers and has also been tippy toe walking (he's age 8). Just wondering if any of you know if this can be a sign of aspergers or other spectrum disorders. I've told her to do a private eval but money is a concern. thanks

 

Whether it's a possible sign or not, it's not a major sign. She would be better off going to a reputable website, printing off the list of symptoms, and then giving examples of each one.

 

The school will not evaluate if whatever a child has is not interfering with school work.

 

If his symptoms don't interfere with school work, they'll need to do private evaluation. Some of that will be covered by insurance, but if not, unless both parents are already working two jobs to make ends meet , an evaluation is something they have to find a way to afford. If both parents are out of work or they live below the poverty line, the child would likely qualify for Medicaid. Many states have insurance programs for children only for kids whose families have a slightly higher income.

 

The point that I'm making is that it has to be a priority. The sooner there is intervention, the better for the child. As her friend, you might research some options for the family if the school cannot or will not evaluate.

[Dobela]

Well, are you ready for a new opinion?? It can be part of autism, it can be a sensory problem, or it can be something else. Some children with cerebral palsy and that have had mild strokes will walk on tip toes. A public school is not going to evaluate that. They will do testing that involves IQ and achievement and then only to see if he would qualify for their special services. If the tippy toe walking is not inhibiting academics, they will not address it.

 

I would start with the pediatrician. Ask for a physical therapy evaluation. It may just be that his muscles are not properly stretched or that there is another issue that can be corrected with physical therapy. If it is a sensory issue, some occupational therapists are qualified to work with that as well.

[sandellie4]

Toe walking can indicate lots of different things, autism being one of them. If your friend suspects that her child is on the autism spectrum, I imagine she has more symptoms that probably provide more strength for her point of view.

 

I know that money is hard but we've found that getting the correct diagnosis for a child on the spectrum is really important. With our first child in public school, we had repeated testing year after year, only to be told that she wasn't eligible for services. When she finally was eligible for services, I was given very little information about her needs overall. The school provided speech therapy, for example, for articulation, but we later realized, after an outside evaluation, that she actually needed more pragmatic speech intervention.

 

Children with autism are all different, so to have a breakdown of specific strengths and weaknesses is important. If your friend decides to get the ADOS or other autism eval from a private practitioner, I would suggest that she hunt around for someone who is known to communicate well with parents. I sat down with my person, from Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, and let her know up front that I would want to know every single little detail, that I was looking for a written report that was pages and pages long with detail, etc. I told her I would also need specific recommendations, not for the school to provide, but for our family to provide. She seemed glad we were so interested and she didn't seem put off at all, so we chose her. She does all of our testing now. We're not wealthy, we're smack in the middle of middle class and are not eligible for any assistance from any agency, and we've had to save up our money in order to get testing. But this testing has been extremely useful in my figuring out what we needed to do, and when I saw that our school didn't have the expertise or the resources to meet our daughter's needs, that's when we started homeschooling her. I don't know that I would have recognized that it was time to stop fighting the school and time to do it myself.

 

Even if your friend cannot do private testing at this point, she might want to start saving for such a test and searching for someone who could do a good job and communicate with her. We've found that the symptoms, especially of the higher-functioning children, tend to worsen with age.

 

Just my two cents, and :grouphug: to your friend.

 

Sandy

[Ibbygirl]

Hi

Can I ask for help in regards to tippy toe walking. My dear friend believes her son is on the spectrum and I agree, however she cannot get her school district to evaluate him. He has many qualities indicative of aspergers and has also been tippy toe walking (he's age 8). Just wondering if any of you know if this can be a sign of aspergers or other spectrum disorders. I've told her to do a private eval but money is a concern. thanks

 

 

My son is Autistic and did the tippy toe thing since he could walk. He still does it sometimes and he is 8 now. I was told by an Occupational therapist that it is part of the whole Autism/sensory issues package. It sounds like your friend needs some advocacy. She can contact CARD (Center for Autism and Related Disabilities) Here is a link here. http://www.centerforautism.com/About/CARD_Locations.asp

 

I don't know if they will help her without a diagnosis, but she can call and at least talk to someone and they can give her a lot of good advice and point her in the right direction. My son had an eval done by the county, before we had a diagnosis of Autism, but that was with my pediatricians referral. CARD is completely free btw. It's a resource to help parents and families raising Autism spectrum kids.

 

I had some trouble with my son's school a couple of years ago, I thought they were giving me a bit of run around on things I wanted for my son. I called CARD a lady from there came into my son's classroom and observed and the school got so scared that they basically did anything I asked of them after that. They are a wonderful resource for advocacy. :) I hope this helps your friend. :)

[earthmother]

I really appreciate all of your help. I will pass this on to my friend. She has pretty much given up and I see the defeat in her whenever we get together.

[Vida Winter]

My oldest daughter walked on her toes all the time when she was a toddler and up until about K. She's not autistic.

[Elizabeth Conley]

Because tip-toe walking past the age of two is considered to be an indicator for any number of medical and psychiatric conditions, getting a neurological consult from a primary physician should be a piece of cake. This would result in the evaluation being covered to a greater or lesser extent by some sort of insurance.

 

I encourage the parents to take this child to their primary care facility for this consultation. Again, tip-toe walking past the age o 2 is taken seriously by the medical profession.

[Ibbygirl]

I really appreciate all of your help. I will pass this on to my friend. She has pretty much given up and I see the defeat in her whenever we get together.

 

 

I'd be happy to talk to her if it would help. Weeding through all of the information can be overwhelming and without some good support, it is very easy to feel defeated. Especially when dealing with the PSS. Your friend can email me at jenbatisman@yahoo.com and I'd be happy to help her in any way I can. :)

 

Blessings,

Jennifer

[Misty]

Many kids with Asperger's and autism do walk on their toes, but not all. My brother has Asperger's and has walked on his toes his entire life. He's 27 now.

[Rod Everson]

Tiptoe walking can also be a sign of a problem with vision skills. A child with poor eye-teaming skill has poor depth perception and tiptoeing is one way to compensate for not being sure (visually) about how far away the ground is under the next step. Tiptoeing can be done tentatively, testing the surface before shifting weight to the forward foot. When one walks normally, you commit your weight to the front foot before you actually plant your heel, which is why you stumble when there's an unexpected dip or rise that you didn't notice.

 

Some children with depth perception issues still walk flat-footed, but their gait isn't "normal" appearing. Instead, they hold their weight back, testing the ground with their heel first, then when they feel the ground they shift their weight. One mother commented to me how her son's walking gait changed noticeably following vision therapy. Such children also often have trouble catching a ball, as they can't tell how far away it is at any moment in time. Many children on the autistic spectrum also have vision skills problems which may be why tiptoe walking is a common symptom in that group.

 

A visit to a developmental optometrist would sort it out, and since it's non-invasive, I'd try that as one of the first options.

 

Rod Everson

OnTrack Reading

[Bassoonaroo]

I'm pretty new here and don't know how (if it's even possible) to post anonymously. Who cares? So, I'm not anonymous. Oh well.

 

I always have toe walked and hate it and am embarrassed by it. Of course, as an adult, I am pretty much aware of it and, unless I am tired, I "walk the right way" although now and then I "catch" myself walking funny (if not on my toes, with my weight on them -- looks odd).

 

I was ridiculed (by my 2 brothers and schoolmates) and given nicknames. It was horrid. Twinkle toes! All my parents did was to tell me "put your heels down." No compassion, no doctor visits, just told to "stop doing that; it'll mess up your feet." Now, I am paranoid that when I get tired or lazy and forget to "walk right" that others are noticing (how could they not) and talking behind my back. I'm sure I look silly. And silly looking people ARE silly. They aren't adult and rational; they're just silly.

 

My parents even enrolled me in ballet because I might as well because I'm always on my toes anyway. I had really no interest in ballet and begged to quit after 2 years of it. Sort of like enrolling a compulsive liar in a fiction-writing class, eh?

 

Sometime during 11th or 12th grade, I remember reading somewhere that autistic kids toe walked more than normal kids. It stuck with me. But, I knew I couldn't be autistic. In 10th grade, I did a report on autism for a child development class. I checked out the three books that the public library had on it (one was Sonrise and one was about a link between sensory input and autism -- I can't remember the third) and called the school district and they let me come quietly observe the one county-wide class with all six of the county's elementary-aged autistic kids in it. I certainly wasn't one of those kids. I might toe-walk, but certainly, I thought, I am not autistic.

 

A couple of them wore helmets for head banging, they didn't talk, some were in diapers, one in a wheelchair (for what reason? I don't know).

 

This, of course, is before anyone knew of a "spectrum" that includes slightly odd kids, and lots of them. These kids were on the far end of the spectrum, not the hanging on to normal end.

 

Since I did this report before reading about the toe-walking autism link, I didn't pay attention to how these six children walked. I cannot remember even seeing any of them walk. Perhaps they did and I forgot.

 

I made an A on the report by the way.

 

Ugh. I cringe when I think about the ridicule. And I think about it daily.

 

Why did/do I toe-walk? I don't really know. I mean my legs and feet appear to be built right and move right. I am guessing that it is a "spectrum" kind of thing because I have a lot of spectrum type behaviors. I try to hide those too.

 

Growing up, I always thought odd behaviors or odd thoughts were certainly to be hidden and never discussed, so I hid them then and hide them now. Now that I am a mom, I realize that kids deserve to have help. Not all things can be overcome and perhaps not all things should (there are really nice things about being a little odd), but kids deserve respect and not ridicule.

 

I think I'll step off the soap box now.

 

The tippy toed child deserves a compassionate evaluation and lots of love and freedom from ridicule.

[Ibbygirl]

I'm pretty new here and don't know how (if it's even possible) to post anonymously. Who cares? So, I'm not anonymous. Oh well.

 

I always have toe walked and hate it and am embarrassed by it. Of course, as an adult, I am pretty much aware of it and, unless I am tired, I "walk the right way" although now and then I "catch" myself walking funny (if not on my toes, with my weight on them -- looks odd).

 

I was ridiculed (by my 2 brothers and schoolmates) and given nicknames. It was horrid. Twinkle toes! All my parents did was to tell me "put your heels down." No compassion, no doctor visits, just told to "stop doing that; it'll mess up your feet." Now, I am paranoid that when I get tired or lazy and forget to "walk right" that others are noticing (how could they not) and talking behind my back. I'm sure I look silly. And silly looking people ARE silly. They aren't adult and rational; they're just silly.

 

My parents even enrolled me in ballet because I might as well because I'm always on my toes anyway. I had really no interest in ballet and begged to quit after 2 years of it. Sort of like enrolling a compulsive liar in a fiction-writing class, eh?

 

Sometime during 11th or 12th grade, I remember reading somewhere that autistic kids toe walked more than normal kids. It stuck with me. But, I knew I couldn't be autistic. In 10th grade, I did a report on autism for a child development class. I checked out the three books that the public library had on it (one was Sonrise and one was about a link between sensory input and autism -- I can't remember the third) and called the school district and they let me come quietly observe the one county-wide class with all six of the county's elementary-aged autistic kids in it. I certainly wasn't one of those kids. I might toe-walk, but certainly, I thought, I am not autistic.

 

A couple of them wore helmets for head banging, they didn't talk, some were in diapers, one in a wheelchair (for what reason? I don't know).

 

This, of course, is before anyone knew of a "spectrum" that includes slightly odd kids, and lots of them. These kids were on the far end of the spectrum, not the hanging on to normal end.

 

Since I did this report before reading about the toe-walking autism link, I didn't pay attention to how these six children walked. I cannot remember even seeing any of them walk. Perhaps they did and I forgot.

 

I made an A on the report by the way.

 

Ugh. I cringe when I think about the ridicule. And I think about it daily.

 

Why did/do I toe-walk? I don't really know. I mean my legs and feet appear to be built right and move right. I am guessing that it is a "spectrum" kind of thing because I have a lot of spectrum type behaviors. I try to hide those too.

 

Growing up, I always thought odd behaviors or odd thoughts were certainly to be hidden and never discussed, so I hid them then and hide them now. Now that I am a mom, I realize that kids deserve to have help. Not all things can be overcome and perhaps not all things should (there are really nice things about being a little odd), but kids deserve respect and not ridicule.

 

I think I'll step off the soap box now.

 

The tippy toed child deserves a compassionate evaluation and lots of love and freedom from ridicule.

 

 

:grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: Thank you for being so brave to share your story. My daughter has Asperger's. She went to a charter school for one year in 3rd grade because dh thought her behaviors were due to a lack of socialization. He thought the school would "work it out of her". She was ridiculed and bullied mercilessly for her "odd" behaviors. She has ticks as well as social issues, issues with compulsions, inappropriate responses etc. I was always in the principals or vice principals office trying to get them to deal with these bullies and they were so blase about it. It was sickening!

 

After 2 months in the school my husband told me to homeschool her again. It is one of the main reasons why I homeschool her. So many of these kids that are "hanging on the the normal end" as you put it (great way of putting it btw :) ) are dealing with severe depression. They are normal enough to want to interact in the world around them, but just different enough to be ridiculed. It is heartbreaking! And of course they always wonder "what's wrong with me?" They don't even realize how special and wonderful they are and neither do the kids around them. They just see that they are different and tear them to pieces. :(

 

I knew another mom who's 14 y.o. son was suicidal from all of the ridicule and bullying he went through in ps. She pulled him out of school and started homeschooling him. One thing she said to me that always stuck with me was something her son's doctor told her, "just get them through highschool. Once there in college and in the world, nobody cares anymore if they're eccentric." It is so true. I wouldn't ever send my child to school again.

Edited June 5, 2009 by Ibbygirl

[mom2jjka]

Toe walking can also be a characteristic of apraxia.

My DD has apraxia, and toe wakling is one of her most prominent symptoms.

 

You should definitely get your child evaluated by a neurologist.

Also - It wouldn't her to get a PT evaluation done as well.

 

Because of the prolonged toe-walking, my daughter's muscle tone in her legs was very poor, she had a shortened heel cord, and her balance was off. She now wears 2 different sets of leg braces (one at night & one during the day) to help correct her toe-walking problems. If the braces don't do the trick - the doctors have even discussed botox injections and a series of casts on her legs to correct the problem.

 

Here are her night time braces (they stretch her leg muscles and lengthen her heel cords)

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/foxvalleyfamily/627800/

 

and here are her daytime braces (They prevent her from rising up onto her toes)

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/foxvalleyfamily/662893/

[Bassoonaroo]

Wow, cool braces. They look neat. I'm a bit jealous. Wish I had them as a kid. Give your dd a hug and tell her that there are adults out there that wish they had gone through that because night and day braces are a lot better than adult struggles.

 

She's a beautiful young lady with a terrific smile. Wow.

[Jorsay]

I have eight kids, two diagnosed with autism and one de-diagnosed. One of my girls, who does not have autism, toe walks. We feel it is part of the spectrum, but other than the toe walking, she has no symptoms at all. We have done nothing about it and have no plans to do anything. She is quite normal otherwise.

 

I have symptoms of autism myself. Believe it or not, even as an adult, I have overt stimming behavior. Of course, as an adult, I can control it until I am alone or I can hide it. I too was ridiculed as child for this behavior. My parents would get upset with me and sometimes make fun a little. It wasn't too bad for me in that respect.

 

Just as an aside to perhaps help parents of stimming children understand: When I stim, I go into an almost trance where I can think more clearly than when not stimming. I wouldn't want to be prevented from stimming. My two autistics have stimming behaviors. Although the teachers try to stop this behavior, I never do. I think I know how they feel when they stim. I am not certain that people that don't stim can think about things vividly. It is almost like a gift.

[Ibbygirl]

Wow, cool braces.

 

She's a beautiful young lady with a terrific smile. Wow.

 

:iagree::iagree::iagree: You have such a pretty little lady there. She's got such a beautiful sweet face. :)

[sarahli]

Some children who have been in the NICU esp. for a long time, will walk on their toes related to repeated heel sticks. :sad:

[mom2jjka]

Wow, cool braces. They look neat. I'm a bit jealous. Wish I had them as a kid. Give your dd a hug and tell her that there are adults out there that wish they had gone through that because night and day braces are a lot better than adult struggles.

 

She's a beautiful young lady with a terrific smile. Wow.

 

:iagree::iagree::iagree: You have such a pretty little lady there. She's got such a beautiful sweet face. :)

 

 

Thank you both. She's a 'trooper' that's for sure. :-)

[Bassoonaroo]

Some children who have been in the NICU esp. for a long time, will walk on their toes related to repeated heel sticks.

 

Wow, I didn't know that. My oldest dd spent 70 days in the NICU -- and her heel stick scars have grown along with her feet and now she has dozens of little stripes hugging her heels. But she doesn't toe walk and never has.

 

My ds, an undiagnosed aspie, also toe-walked for a few months and mentioned it to the doctor but he outgrew it soon afterwards. He still has strange behaviors but that's how he is... Very easy to deal, really, as I understand where he's "coming from."

[oceandaughter]

It could be a physical problem with the feet. My dh does this and my son do. My dh is not on the spectrum but my son is. My son doesn't do it much since he got orthodics. It may be worth getting a physical therapy evaluation as it can be a simple foot problem. My dh didn't have orthodics as a child and to this day has chronic foot pain (though not as much since he began wearing orthodics as an adult.) My ds has no foot pain.

[Mommyof4ks]

Is he on any meds? My son is on a chemo drug that causes nerve damage and can lead to toe walking and other issues. Some drugs have this side effect. If that is the case, simply enrolling him in a gymnastics class that focuses on trampoline or buying a trampoline can help ALOT. My son has made huge strides in the last 9 months, and he no longer has feet trouble at all. Stretching those muscles is very important so surgery is not required later.

[Tree House Academy]

My son is 9, almost 10 and has ADHD. He has been walking on his tippy toes for the last year now (only when barefoot) and the doctor discovered that he has tight tendons in his heels. He does exercises to help with this...and as far as I know it has nothing to do with ADHD and he is not autistic.

[lilbean05]

I have walked on my toes from when I started walking until I was 10 years old. My parents pointed it out to me and I made the conscious decision to stop doing it. As an aside, I did the same thing with a speech impediment. No amount of speech therapy fixed it. It took me being tired of it, sitting at home with a mirror and a tape recorder at the age of 13 and fixing it on my own.

 

My husband also walked on his toes for the majority of his pre-teen years. As adults, we are both well adjusted individuals with advanced degrees and soon to be MD.

 

My 3 year old AND 2 year old walk on their toes and I am not even the least bit worried that they have a disorder of some type. If anything, they will have very strong calves!

 

I wouldn't use toe walking as a major reason to support any need for a diagnoses of some sort. I suppose you could correlate it with a diagnosis after the diagnoses has been made based on other factors, but please don't let toe walking worry you.

[ReneeK]

My daughter has been walking on her toes since she has been walking. We thought she was on the spectrum. She is Sensory Processing Disorder and low muscle tone and other special needs. Walking on her toes helps her to keep her muscles supported so she isn't floppy like a rag doll. It can be bad for them to constantly walk on the toes. My dd wears braces to give her the support she needs and forces her heels to the floor.

 

Toe walking can be for many reasons. I would have her talk to her Dr. about seeing a specialist, just to make sure.

[mom2jjka]

My 3 year old AND 2 year old walk on their toes and I am not even the least bit worried that they have a disorder of some type. If anything, they will have very strong calves!

 

I wouldn't use toe walking as a major reason to support any need for a diagnoses of some sort. I suppose you could correlate it with a diagnosis after the diagnoses has been made based on other factors, but please don't let toe walking worry you.

 

 

I'm sorry I have to disagree.

 

My daughter's calves were not 'strong' they were taught. ( Her doctors called it tonal.) She actually couldn't relax the muscles, and it was painful for her to try to walk flat-footed because her muscles were so tight. She actually was not able flex her foot upwards because her heel-cord had shortened due to walking on her toes constantly. So she wouldn't have been able to 'break the habit' all on her own.

Even months of physical therapy didn't help her break the habit.

 

If a child walks on their toes occasionally - I agree it is nothing to worry about, but for kids who do it constantly, it forms a vicious cycle.

They walk on their toes for sensory (or other) reasons, and then their muscles and tendons don't stretch/grow properly, and so it becomes painful for them to walk heel-to-toe, and the cycle repeats.

 

It may not be a symptom of another disorder - but it can be a serious issue.

[DebonLI]

My daughter tippy toes. She's almost nine now. In spite of biomedical treatments, GF/CF diet, and AIT, she still does from time to time. We tell her to put her feet down and she does. I don't think she's even aware she's doing it.