DS just bum shuffled and I could cry

[Zzxxyyzz]

I desperately don’t want him to be a bum shuffler but I knew it was likely to be on the cards because he has always hated tummy time and was pretty late to roll.

Bum shuffling is linked to all sorts of developmental delay, dyspraxia, dyslexia etc. I’ve just read a study that stated half of bum shufflers went on to be diagnosed with ASD.

I just feel very sad that I can see a tricky future mapped out for him. I will forever ask myself if we could have done more to encourage tummy time but in the early days he just screamed and screamed and in the later days he was just not fussed about it and would roll onto his back.

Crawling is so important for developing visual acuity, handwriting, visual spatial skills etc. I am just absolutely heartbroken for him.

DH bless him doesn’t have a clue about the implications and is sitting there cheering him and proudly videoing it 😔 I’ve had to come out of the room I just feel sick and so gutted.

My DS never bum shuffled - he didn't have the core strength to do so. He has ASD, ADD, Dyspraxia, LD, Global Developmental Delay, Hypermobility....that's before you start on the 4 types of epilepsy, the underdeveloped facial features, the recurrent infections, etc....

I've never been upset that my son has been able to do something, whether he was 10 months behind his peers or 2 years. It was always something to be proud of. You should celebrate all good things - otherwise your worries will always overshadow his achievements.

I understand your post - your scared, your worried and it feels impossible. However, what will be, will be. IF he has a tough time ahead, he's going to need you to be proud of him and not disappointed in him.

Autism is a whole range of symptoms. It can't be diagnosed based on one development point.

Is this for real? Not to be rude but you are massively overthinking this unless there are other glaring issues that you have not mentioned. I thought it was bog standard to bum shuffle before crawling….is it not?

That's not how statistics work... 58% of bum shufflers in that study, didn't get diagnosed with ASD.

We don't have a piece of research exclusively on crawlers that I know of but the rate of ASD in the general population is around 1-3%.

Sorry if this has already been picked up on, but you’re skipping over the important qualifier of “for low literacy children” from your quote. So there’s poor stereoacuity for kids who had low literacy AND bum shuffled. Low literacy could be for all sorts of reasons - from learning difficulties, to their parents not having the means or inclination to buy them books.

It sounds like you are book smart and care deeply about your baby’s learning and development. So whatever cards you end up being dealt, I’m sure your baby will excel with their learning.

FWIW though, I don’t think you’ve been dealt any cards! Bum shuffling in itself is nothing to worry about at this age. An NCT friend’s baby did it at around one, and she still walked loads faster than my son! Sometimes it’s just a means to an end for these kids, try not to read too much into it.

On the other end of the scale, a very close friend of mine IS dyspraxic with dyscalculia, NEVER bum shuffled (just didn’t walk until 19m) - and is now a doctor.

So it’ll all work out fine. It’s easy to say when you’ve got two kids and they’ve been through this phase, but I remember the panic when my kids hated tummy time too. Have you got any friends IRL who have been through the baby stage in the last few years? They might be able to offer some good perspective ❤️

I bum-shuffled and never once crawled. If only my mum had enforced more tummy time, maybe I'd be in the top tax bracket now instead of the second highest :(

Anyway the article you cited only studied a sample* *of lower-literacy primary school children in Tasmania, not the general population, so can effectively can be discounted in the absence of futher corroborating research

You're convinced your bum-shuffling DS is going to be diagnosed with ASD based on a study of just 48 children? With respect, I think you need to speak to someone about health anxiety and the fact you sought out this tiny study to confirm your son's future is now destined to be doom and gloom. Your response is highly irrational.

Omg. The part you have posted is where researchers speculate in order to generate ideas for future research.
“reported to be”
”association”
”may”
”could”

There is no causal link expressed here at all.

My DS is autistic and didn't bum shuffle at all. He was super late crawling and walking, but that was all down to hypermobility it turned out. Try not to worry :) If there are other red flags for autism, speak to your health visitor about it though - I found they were relatively useless at the standard development checks and home visits, but bloody fantastic when I had a genuine concern (the late walking and crawling) and were SO on the ball chasing up referrals and all sorts for us. They were equally brilliant when preschool and I flagged autism concerns.

The Bluey episode Baby Race always makes me cry, Bluey was a bum shuffler and her Mum worried. Makes me think of that time when I worried incessantly about my lovely little boy who wouldn't crawl. There's a Bluey episode for everything!!

Please try not to worry :)

Yeah sorry, we cross posted :D

My brother was a bum shuffler.
He is now in his 40's, he has a PhD, and he is very successful in his field.

OP, I wish you and your family all the best!

Dear OP

please stop googling things like this…. No good will come of it.

Motherhood is hard - you don’t need to add this extra stress.

💐💐💐

for reference my youngest didn’t bum shuffle or crawl - he just waited until he could walk. He’s been the top of every class since.

its going to be ok - whatever happens x

I think you’re stressing over nothing. You are saying studies show that it is linked to ASD etc. If he has any of these then he has them, whether he has bum shuffled or not. My little girl didn’t crawl on her hands and knees until about 18m, didn’t walk until 2.5 years. But she’s very clever and very intelligent. I don’t think you need to stress because stressing isn’t going to change whether he has anything or not.

I’m not sure if you’ve missed my last two posts OP but have you been to your GP/health visitor?
This is really important - you need to get a physical cause ruled out, especially as you say your DC didn’t roll or like tummy time. He has missed several milestones so you need to have him checked for hypermobility, hypotonia etc

I never knew that! I was a bum shuffler, didn't crawl. After a period of shuffling I pulled myself up holding on to something and eventually walked. Lots of babies are the same, have no developmental delays or anything else wrong with them. I don't know where you got that from. Babies do things at different times, some walk at ten months, some at eighteen months, some don't talk until they're nearly three (especially if they have an older sibling who talks a lot), but they grow up normal. As for 'tummy time', some do and some don't, it's only in recent years that has become a label for something that used to come naturally, or not, depending on the child.

Your little boy is an individual. Never forget that. He'll probably grow up to be a nuclear physicist, or a musician (or both).

Stop worrying!

Try not to worry, thank goodness this wasn't a concern when my DD was a year old 24 years ago. She didn't walk on her own till she was over 15 months, hated tummy time, barely crawled and shuffled around to reach what she wanted, I would have been terrified if I thought she was going to struggle in life. But she grew into a chatty and active toddler, a bright pupil and advanced reader in primary and did fantastic in GCSE and A levels and is doing well in life. It's not a given that missing out on crawling will lead to issues.

As @ZippyKoala and @Zonder accurately pointed out, the study you’re fixating on isn’t just tiny it’s biased, as children were already visiting a child development facility.

I understand anxiety in parents but having to leave the room because you’re so upset at bum-shuffling is off the chart.

And then repeatedly doubling down on your insistence that your child is going to have a terrible future - I can’t even begin to tell you how offensive and ableist you’re being.

Even if you take that single study as accurate, 42% were autistic - but that means 58% weren’t. You’re plucking statistics out of a whole body of available academic research just to back up your assertion - this is the epitome of a little knowledge being a dangerous thing.

I’m glad your child has at least one parent who’s cheering him on.

I have two autistic DC and I’m autistic myself. Your post is one of the most offensive I’ve seen in a while.

Bottom shuffling is an established marker for a range of developmental delays. The NHS says so too!

No, the NHS says that bum shuffling is a normal variation that some babies do instead of crawling.

You’ve got a LOAD of replies already so I’m sure sharing this is pointless but… two of my DS’s were bum shufflers and no ASD, no dyspraxia, no dyslexia. Both very clever, top-ish-of-class kids and pretty sporty too. I didn’t even have a clue the things were related.

Bum shuffling is SO cute, OP!

Honestly the fact he hates tummy time, seems to make it more likely that he's just a bum shuffler because he doesn't like being on his tummy. Yes bum shuffling is easier to coordinate than crawling so children with disabilities affecting their coordination may bum shuffle instead of crawling, but hating tummy time is a more likely reason to bum shuffle.

The research says 42%, so 58% didn't. The research sample was only 48 babies so not exactly a wide ranging study.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32878720/

With all due respect op, you're reading way too much into this.
You're already mapping out his life, not the bum shuffling.
I think maybe you need some support for your anxieties, motherhood is a long and often stressful journey and you have a longway to go. There will be enough real issues along the way without you making one up.

Sorry @Zzxxyyzzbut the shit you’re getting is because you’re being super offensive to those with DC with disabilities and actual issues.

OP, you should reach out to the maternity health team because your extreme emotional response and feelings that your child is doomed might be the start of PPD.

Okay a twofold increase. Is this from 0.1% to 0.2%. Is it 2% to 4%.

What is the actual.incidence of poor stereoacuity in this group of children who have been specifically selected due to their low levels of literacy in Tasmania? Are the results of this study relevant to unselected children in the UK?

Is the twofold increase statistically meaningful?
I.e. let's say 2 children out of the ~420 in the study group had poor stereoacuity who bum shuffled Vs 1 in the crawling group. Does this genuinely mean the risk is double in bum-shufflers or is the difference just not statistically significant/meaningful?

Most studies available on most subjects are poor quality (/possibly meaningless). You really need to be looking for Cochrane reviews/metaanalyses if you want to find anything meaningful on medical subjects.

I do feel you’ve made an absolute leap here 😆 bum shuffling = autism?! Wild. Please try and see the positives for what it is he’s moving about and making effort! X