DELAYED WALKING

[emab]

MY 2 YEAR OLD SON IS STILL OT WALKING OR WEIGHT BEARING, HE HAS BEEN SEEN BY CONSULTANTS WHO HAVE FOUND NO CAUSE FOR THIS, IS ANYONE ELSE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEMS, CAN ANYONE GIVE ME AN ADVICE, THANKYOU

Not sure if this helps emab, but my nephew didn't walk until he was 3 - no physical reason for it, he just didn't do it! He is absolutely fine.

If there is no medical cause for it, hopefully he will spontaneously start. Does he get around other ways?

Not sure if this helps but my 14m dd is not crawling and absolutely has no interest in bearing any weight on her legs! As asked before, does your son use any other methods of 'travel', does he bear anyweight onlegs if you hold himup, does he crawl and therefore use his legs to push himself along?

My ds2 was slow at everything from weening, walking sitting and talking. He was almost 22mths before he started walking and he was refered to hospital for tests, they couldn't find anything wrong with him physically. Can i ask does he have older brothers or sisters. He runs, talks, is just like any other kid now, it will come eventually!!

My DD is 15 months, is crawling but doesn't want to weight bear or walk either. She is assessed every 2 months by a physio who has said her movements are all normal and she is just taking longer to do things. It is SUCH a worry though, every night I dream of her walking, so I feel for you!!

My 2 year old ds is weightbearing but not walking. GP said he would be worried if he wasn't weightbearing - he holds onto something all the time on the rare occasions that he walks, but holding onto a wall clearly doesn't hold him up, so we think it's a confidence thing. However, we have been referred to a paediatrician to check everything out in case (ears, balance, etc). Maybe it would be worth going back to your GP?

He bum shuffles very well, but doesnt weight bear at all, doesnt crawl, doesnt pull himself up, unable to sit up from lying down, having physio, and has seen Drs but not found anything which is good, but gets more of a concern the longer it goes on and he doesnt progress. thank you all for your messages.Just seems like im the only one with a 2 year old who has to be carried everywhere!!

Hi both my dcs were bum shufflers and didn't start walking until just before they were 2, they never weight beared on legs either

I have discovered since that I was a bum shuffler and late walker also my mum was so maybe some connection.No doctor/ HV seemed too concerned and they have both gone on to develop well.

Also research I did myself indicated some connection with bum shuffling as they obviusly have hands free to do everything whereas crawlers have to use their hands so seem to want to stand up more
who knows! - got totally fed up with all the comments though and they were both so heavy to carry I truly sympathise !

my son is 31 mths and still not walking.. he was very late hitting all his mile stones and although his speech is getting better it's still very poor for his age... he weight bears if he's holding onto something but does not attempt to even stand unaided... he's under a pedeatric doctor and has physio therapy but all tests so far ( x rays bloods mri scans) have all come back normal... it;s such a worry but i'm keeping positive and enjoying his extended baby stage, more cuddles and an extra closeness i didn't get with my very indepentant daughter :-) will be getting the results of his latest mri scan tomorrow (spinal/lower nervous system) and if thats all clear he will be haveing tests done on his leg muscles.... i know this hasn't been much help to you but just wanted to let you know your not alone...

My DS walked at 30 months and was also late sitting etc. We had the help of a physio who said his reluctance was mainly due to a confidence issue. Within a couple of months of seeing her, he took his own steps and then there was no stopping him. They gave us lots of good exercises to encourage him and also fitted him with special little boots which probably sound horrendous but were actually really sweet and support little one's feet in the right places to give added confidence.

We too worried ourselves sick over it but knew that one day we'd look back and wonder why we worried so much. And it certainly is nice to know you're not on your own because that was how we felt and could find very little on the internet. Sometimes you just want someone who's had the same experience to reassure you.

Oh, and mum2mum, I completely understand. My DS is under the watch of just about every health worker you can get (speech therapist, continence nurse etc) and I'm getting really down about because he's a beautiful, happy little boy at the end of the day and I get sick and tired of justifying his 'differences'! Hope the MRI scan went okay - we didn't get that far but had blood taken to check for Muscular Dystrophy, Fragile X and that type of thing.

ds spinal scans normal, which is another huge relief, and the last lot of bloods were also normal... he's back at hospital next week for more blood tests and they are also going to test his spinal fluid... so i'm still in the dark as to why he doesn't walk... i know all kids develope at different stages and i hate putting him through all these tests, which hopefully in the end might turn out unneccessary, but i couldn't live with mysself if there was something i could have done and didn't... just got to keep on with his physio and prey he's up and running around this summer (grin)

I am glad to see that there are other Mum's out there with toddlers who are'nt walking yet. My DS is 22 months old and still not walking, he did'nt crawl until he was 17 months. He can pull himself up on furniture and stand OK holding on, he can climb the stairs but has'nt quite taken steps yet, I think his ankles are still weak. He tried to stand up on his own for a few seconds then fell forward. I have been in touch with the health visitor who will be doing an assessment with DS shortly and he is being referred to a physio. It is hard to see all his peers running about and they have been for some time now. I hope that DS will be OK and that its just a case of him taking his time, its been really useful reading everyone's comments!

My dd didn't walk until 19 months, but in her case it was because she turned out to have a joint disorder- only found that out 6 years later though. Might be worth letting somebody have a look at your ds, Kellsie, to see if he is hypermobile. If he is, then things like the right kind of shoes and simple exercises can help to strengthen his ankles.
But most likely he's just a bit slow to reach this particular stage.

I am so glad i found this site my daughter is 26 months old and not walking. she has had every test under the sun mri, bloods ,etc but they find nothing wrong the only thing they can say is she has poor muscle tone in her ankles and her joints are hypermobile . we had physio for a while but had to stop it because she was terrified of them!! she was late sitting alone etc she can bear weight and will stand if i stand her against something she will also walk if i hold her hands but will not stand up alone she will not pull herself up using furniture either.i am fed up of hearing the term she is a classic" bum shuffler". her speech and mental developement is fantastic but i just want her to walk its so hard explaining to people why she cant walk all the time .it kills me to see kids running aound in the park while she has to be carried and pushed everywhere.. will she ever walk?

She may well need specialist help, Jeenz. I would push for a referral to a rheumatologist.

My dd walked at 19 months but was always very unstable. She developed ankle pains when she was about 3, got really bad at 7. Turns out she has something known as Hypermobility Syndrome, where the hypermobility of her joints leads to chronic pain and frequent small injuries (like mini-dislocations and sprains). It also affects her sense of balance, so she falls easily. (Also leads to incontinence and chronic constipation).

She has been up and down tbh. She's done ballet and danced in shows- but also been through periods when she's not been able to walk at all.

The things that have helped her are physio, input from an Occupational therapist, supportive footwear and pacing- keeping active but never doing too much on any one day. As I can't drive, that means we do use a wheelchair when she is out and about, but she walks at home and at school.

Not saying this will happen to your dd, but if it does- you really need to push for treatment.

My ds (7) has the same hypermobility, but very few symptoms as yet.

The Hypermobility Syndrome Association has a very useful website+forum.

my ds was about 22 months i think before he walked- hv and doctor were not concerned. i asked for a paed referal at about 21 months i think but by the time it came through he was well away. Sympathise with having to carry though they do get heavy. He now has slightly turned out foot but hv not concerned, suggested lacing shoes as they can offer more support. It is not as obvious now but i will keep an eye on it. Dh has very pronounced turned out foot so maybe inevitable. Ds was great bum shuffler and talked very early. We go to minigym now which has improved his coordination and climbing, he is no different to his peers now, even though they have been walking for nearly a year longer!

thanks cory
will do! am seeing consultant again in july yes they did say she has hypermobility,think i might push for another physio if they can make it more fun for dd.they were talking about more tests too but what they could be i dont know they already did every test they can think of so fingers crossed.might also ask for another opinion from another doctor dont care if i have to take her to the end of the earth and back for it anything as long as it helps her... one last thing she does this weird flapping thing with her hands?? anyone come accross this?

Ds1 walked 6 weeks shy of his 2nd birthday. Sat at 8 months, crawled at 9.5 months. Would not weight-bear at all until 2 months before he walked.
Ds2 (now 17 months) is not sitting yet and won't weight-bear either but is super-chilled out. Nothing phases him he just wants to exchange smiles with anyone and everyone.
I didn't walk 'til I was 3. Nor did my husband. So they obviously take after us. (I didn't talk either 'til I was 4.5 and ds 1 was 1 month past his 3rd b'day before he started.)

My dd2 walked late at 25months, she was seen by the physio and I was told she was very hypermobile, she can turn her feet thro 90 degrees so they face to the side for example.

She was referred for Piedro boots but never needed them in the end. I did buy her clarks ancle boots though which gave the joint more support than the crawler/cruiser type shoes.

Tiger Woods didn't walk 'til he was 2.

Hi, Jeenz,

My son is also hypermobile and hypotonic and also detested having physio, which he had from 15 months old (when he could sit if put in that position or lie on his back, but not much else gross motor-wise, not even rolling over). He was not delayed in other areas, just gross motor.

The physio stopped when he was about 23 months, which was when we got him walking. Without the physiotherapy (and some piedro boots to support his weak ankles) there is no way he could have made so much progress so quickly (well, that and his obsessional practising, ploughing up and down with a cart until he had the strength to walk by himself). So, I would recommend finding another physio, despite the upset it causes. My son's physio was great - she couldn't get much out of him at the actual sessions, but she got to see enough to work out what he needed to be working on each month and she taught me how to do the exercises with him. So, effectively, I became his physiotherapist under the tuition of a qualified physio!!! A million times better than getting no phsyio input at all...

As for arm or hand flapping, this may just be something she has found that she can enjoy (if you can't walk, you've got to find other means of stimulation and entertainment from time to time!!!). It is sometimes commented on in children who are dyspraxic (problems with motor co-ordination), who have issues with sensory integration (over or under-reacting to certain stimuli - eg noise, heat, textures) or autistic, but is not part of the diagnosis of such conditions (ie it's not in the list of things a child must do to be dyspraxic or autistic), and can also be done by normal children as part of a phase they are going through which they grow out of, so try not to read too much into it, if that's your daughter's only odd habit!

thanks asteamedpoater
for your input.my dd was the same at 20 months old she couldnt even sit herself up unless we put her in that position then at 21 months she did it herself then started bum shuffling around herself and now moves pretty good ( ie hands knees etc). will get more physio for her. we were supposed to get boots for her but they never materialised,but will push for them.she too is not delayed in any other areas just gross motor. her previous physio said this was why she was finding it difficult to work with dd because she was too clever and understood she could hurt herself if she fell etc..as for the hand flapping thing friends and family have said the same as you, that she prob does it maybe because of frustation cause not walking or over excited.i did ask consultant on last visit about autism etc and hand flapping but he dismissed dd of having this because she showed no other signs or symptoms..

Im glad I found this thread too. My DD is 2 in a weeks time and hasnt walked or stood on her own yet either. She had an MRI scan and xray a couple of weeks ago and we are waiting for the results now. She is weight bearing though and will walk if I hold her up. Everyone keeps telling me not to worry but you do dont you? I feel Im going to be using a pushchair forever. (good for shopping though..looking on the bright side!)