4yr old walking on his toes.

[Choclatespread]

My DS has been walking on his toes for 2-3 months on and off. Although I noticed it, didn't really make a big deal about it, just thought it was a habit, and he would grow out of it.
Anyway his teacher, has raised a concern, and has suggested we get him checked as he is also falling over quite abit at school.
Has anyone had any experience of this, or know anyone like this?

BUMP

Tip toe walking and clumsiness are often signs of Dyspraxia - there's a symptom checker here. But in my DS2's case he always walked on his toes - it wasn't something he suddenly developed, IYSWIM, so in your DS's case it could just be a bad habit he's got into.

Bear in mind with the symptom checker that no-one meets all of those criteria, but if some of it seems familiar then it's worth talking to your GP, who should refer to an Occupational Therapist for starters.

Thanks Hassled. Will check that out.

Just checked the site, it's really hard to say, without professional advice, he did have some issues with feeding as a baby, and didnt reach his milestones.
He was a very sick baby from birth, so some of the things that do relate to him, from that site we have always assumed it was because of his Gastro condition.
He loves Jigsaws, building blocks, colouring and has very good fine motor skills. His speech is not very clear for a 4yr old, and can get over excited, but that's only with people he is very familiar with, otherwise he is quite shy.
Come to think of it now, he did complain of leg pain a year and a half ago, said he couldnt walk but x-ray didnt show anything. He still does occasionally complain of leg pain, but it's never been a case of severe pain. Just something that comes and goes really, so I always assumed he's just being lazy.
I have made an appointment to see the GP, but it is not till next Friday.
Thanks again for that. I'm still open minded, so am considering anything possible.

My dd2 walks on her toes, she has hypomobilty and autism. They arent sure which one causes her toe walking but either way it's not a good thing. She has supportive heavy boots. You need to ask for referral to physio

my ds, age 12 walks on his toes when he is stressed or tired, he is very able and in a grammar school doing well in his academic and music activities of his choice

my daughter has always walked on her toes - that was just the way she has always walked. last year she got physio for it as her tendions were very tight. physio has helped - but as a dancer tip toe walking sometimes helps her!

My 6 year old dd has always been a tip toe walker. We got her checked out a couple of years ago prior to starting school and the doctor felt that there was no known cause except for tight Achilles tendons. Whether the tight Achilles cause the tip toe walking or the tip toe walking causes the tight Achilles no one knows. Anyway she had exercises given by the physio which helped a bit and then had plaster casts on for 3 weeks followed by heavy boots which seemed to break the habit. However a year on and she has started tip toe walking again so probably need to see the physio again.
It's worth getting checked out as it can be due to other underlying conditions such as autism.
Good luck.

my son has aspergers and dyspraxia and has always walked on his toes, and still does.

i call it the aspie bounce

im sure not all bouncers are aspies/dyspraxics but if the teacher has raised concerns i would start to look into symtoms and see if any fit.

Thanks for the replies.
Lisad - when did your DD get diagnosed for Hypo-mobility. I'm pretty much sure he doesn't have autism, but I am going to google Hypo-mobility.
Happy - has your DS always done that or was it something he developed later.
I do hope it's nothing to worry about, but it's not knowing that is also a worry.

Queen- did your DD complain of leg pain?

My brother used to do this from 4 or 5, my mum was always trying to get him to put his feet down and my dad made cracks about ballet dancers. He was also very sensitive to labels and seams in clothes, had night terrors for years, psoriasis and some gastro problems/food sensitivities. I don't think my parents ever had it checked out.

He stopped when he was a teenager and started slouching around in Vans and playing rugby. He is now 27 and the only thing that has persisted is the psoriasis on his hands, everything else he grew out of.

BTW DD has had leg and arm pain for a while which the doctor said was growing pains. It responds well to Calpol and tends to co-incide with an expensive shopping trip for new clothes and shoes + an increase in appetite

R2- Do children get growing pains during the day?
I was just wondering because if we are walking somewhere, normally short distance journey, less than a mile, he says he can't walk anymore because his legs are hurting, and refuses to walk, even if I encourage him to walk a little more, because we are nearly there (destination) he would not be able to manage it, which results in me having to carry him.

My son blames it on his ballet classes I signed him for from the age of 5, he is very musical, gave up dancing but is very agile yet not sporty.
I didn't remember him doing it until he was about 7 - when I noticed it and now I am thinking of it as a bad habit, and I remind him to correct it whenever he is doing it. I agree, his muscles aren't well streched, I sometimes give him massage, but should really go to see a physio about some exercises.

I know a mum from dd's school who herself is a physio and tip toes around her house ever since she was a little girl, she never said it made her suffer in any way, in fact she was a good athlete and few years ago run a marathon (when she turned 40).

I think as I mentioned he does it more often when he is under pressure (from himself mostly ).
I would say he had difficulty fitting in with his friends at school, but that was due to his personality and being the oldest boy in the class whee next one was 6 months younger. He preferred to play with girls (their games ware more interesting) and never wanted to join in with boys. Now he is in boys only school and made lots of friends, is happier as school streaches him and challenges too.

He is bright and very inquisitive, always making plans far ahead and working on some new ideas. At times we thought he has some behavioral problems but them he is a good boy, very sensitive and sensible as well. I never wanted a label for his personality.
We learend how to live together. He is very good brother and cousin, so all in all I would not say that his tiptoeing is a symptom of anything I felt I needed to consult a therapist about.

DD (6) had them at tea time yesterday, had to get the calpol out as she complained that her ankles hurt, most of the time she it is at the end of the day when she finally sits down. I can tell its real achy pain though by her behaviour. She has had them for the last few years, she goes quiet and starts rubbing her legs and if its really bad her voice breaks. It never lasts very long though, she is always better the next day.

Is he really hurting or does he just not want to walk anymore? I remember DD going through a tricky stage at that age and having to drag her when I was heavily pregnant with DS. It was always on a road we had walked millions of times before, or when she was really tired/overstimulated/hungry etc.

I have a friend whose daughter has hypermobile joints and she falls a lot and is pigeon toed, is sometimes reluctant to walk and occasionally complains of pain.

I hope the doctor will be able to help and can reassure you.

Toe walking can be a symptom of ASD .

R2, my dd1 has tight len tendons and has major leg pain. Its not growing pains for her, its because she spends all day stretching those tendons, so now has inserts in her shoes.

NannyPlum, Im not sure you can class it as a symptom of ASD, more as something that alot of children with ASD do, mainly due to sensory issues. imo

lisad toe walking is a red flag for autism .

autism is one of the least likely reasons for tip toe walking

the "growing pains", slightly slower attainment of developmental milestones, coupled with walking on toes point towards hypermobility, or simply tight achilles tendons

ask if your GP can refer directly to a paediatric physio, if not you will need to get an appt with a paediatrician who can then refer

he may need stretching exercises and/or specialist footwear

he may always have a tendency to tip toe walk but the prognosis in most cases is very good, and they grow out of it and/or it doesn't affect the child's development in a major way

good luck x

He doesn't really complain of any pain, but occasionally has said he can't walk, not only outdoor walking, even indoors. I'm wondering now if it is hypermobility, or tight achilles tendons ( whatever that is meant to be).
It's very unlikely he has autism, as he is showing no other signs.
Thanks for all the input guys, at least if the doctor is not very concerned, I can ask for referral to physio.

I agree AF, while it is a flag if there is other issues going on, its more likely one of the many other reasons. toe walking in toddlers is very common.

Dp and all three of my daughters tiptoe walk. Sometimes DD1 (7) has difficulties with tight tendons. But she does ballet which seems to help stretch her legs out a bit.
None of them have autism.

my 9 yr old walks on tip toes always has since he learnt to walk. He had 8 weeks worth of plaster casts that had no effect and he has also been repeatedly tested for asd. He isn't on the asd scale but has seen a sensory therapist as he is has multiple sensory issues (eating things he shouldn't, the need to touch and taste everything ect) what we have been told is it is probably because he feels more comfortable walking like that and to try and ignore it and he'll grow out of it in his teenage yrs. Hope that offers some support :) x

Just as well I checked the last few posts in this forum as I was about to post a very similar OP. DS1 has walked on his toes for about the last year (he's just turned 4). He's had one appointment at the hospital but they didn't give very practical advice, just asked us to keep on at him but we are all getting stressed at saying "tiptoes. TIPTOES!" at him all day long. His left foot is definitely worse which is the foot which is on the floor when he is scooting, so at the moment we have put the scooter to rest as it wasn't helping. Also I think wearing crocs last summer didn't help as they were so light. He walks better in his boots but he can't wear them this summer! We need some practical exercises from a physio I think, ways in which we can help to stretch his muscles as his back calf muscle seems very tight and he can't seem to put his foot into a right angle let alone flex his toe upwards. He's definitely not autistic and good with overall movement (excellent at climbing and Lego) so I don't think it's dyspraxia. I think if he were a girl it might be more accepted but I am worried once he goes to school in sept he will be teased for basically looking like he's wearing 3 inch heels. :(

OP, How are his toileting habbits (strange question I know!), but as he has only been doing this for a couple of months, it could be something to do with constipation. This is one of the symptoms in children believe it or not. My ds has had some problems with constipation fom the age of 3.5 to present day (nearly 6).