concerns about 11 yr old DD walking on tiptoes etc

[Thischarmingpram]

My daughter has always intermittently walked on her tiptoes. She can walk on her foot as normal but goes onto her tiptoes subconciously a lot of the time. She has developed a pain in one instep which has been x-rayed and no reason found. Dr has referred for physio.
In addition to this she suffers with anxieties/phobia about people being sick - she had some CAMHs sessions around this as it was affecting her daily life i.e didn't want to eat out, go on school trips etc.
She also eats with her hands despite constant reminding to use a knife and fork, she also breaks food into tiny pieces or nibbles so fast without a break she sometimes gets stomach aches.
She is also incredibly forgetful and messy, she often doesn't listen and seems 'miles away' although can be really focused and is 'gifted and talented' for literature.
Do you think these symptoms could relate to a wider condition? I have done a basic online 'autism' test but she was not on the spectrum.
She is going to secondary school this week and I am worried she will get picked on for these habits.
Does anyone have similar experience and/or advice?

[MomOfABeast]

Could it be a sensory processing disorder? The miles away/Messy disorganized bit sounds like a lot of the women in my family and me to an extent which in our case is ADHD related. Girls tend to present differently from boys and often do well in school. kids with ADHD can also hyper focus when a topic interests them which can be deceotive. Since its affecting her life I'd personally try to have it investigated further by someone who specialises in developmental issues just to rule out an ASD which might not be picked up from an online test.

[saffronwblue]

I always walked and ran on my toes as a child as I had very short Achilles' tendons. At 10 I was treated by putting my legs in plaster for 6 weeks in a 'stretching' position. Sounds barbaric but did not hurt much.

[defineme]

I would be asking for more assessment. I would make the school senco aware of your concerns too. Tbh everything you have mentioned can be an asd flag, but you need professional opinion. In the short term I would just try to prevent some issues-send her with a pack lunch so eating with hands doesn't matter, sort her stuff out for her so she is not disorganised.

[Thischarmingpram]

Thanks for replies, I work for an organisation that employs a freelance psychotherapist so I will speak to her about it. We have charts timetables etc all over house to help with organisation and she is taking sandwiches, it worked well today, fingers crossed!
momofabeast how does this affect you as an adult? She does get hyper focused on subjects to a degree, she loves writing stories and has begun (but rarely finished!) literally hundreds. I will make an appointment to speak with tutor/senco, thanks.

[Goldmandra]

The psychotherapist will only be of use to you if she has a good, up to date professional understanding of neurodevelopmental disorders in children. Otherwise she may give you advice based on inappropriate assumptions.

You would be better asking your GP for a referral to a paediatrician or CAMHS for a neurodevelopmental assessment. This will involve several different professionals observing your DD, conversations with her about what she finds difficult and getting a full developmental history from you plus any other assessments they deem appropriate.

It is a very thorough process and any diagnosis would be made in consultation with you and your DD.

Don't read too much into the results of an online test either way. It is way more complicated than that.

[CatThiefKeith]

I walked on tiptoes from the age of 4 right through to my teens.

No idea why, it didn't hurt, just felt more comfortable. I do have quite high arches though.

I can't remember when or why it stopped, but family members still reminisce about it occasionally so I must have been a prolific tiptoer!

[MomOfABeast]

I'm mainly just very disorganized and get very stressed with large tasks e.g. Cleaning up the whole house until i break it into smaller pieces and have a tendency to avoid it as a result. If it is ADHD it's well worth getting her help as it can be very well managed with behavioral strategies but can lead o issues with self esteem, addiction etc if untreated. Good luck!