I just want to start with that I am generally very happy with my daughters nursery. The odd small gripe, but that's normal.
My daughter is 20 months and a bottom shuffler. She is not walking yet, in fact she is not pulling up to standing yet. She can stand holding on to things when placed. In all other aspects she is doing really well. Started putting sentences together a couple of months ago and has more words than I can count. She can screw a bottle top on and off and throw a ball to you a fair distance in the right direction. She is also and most importantly a very happy and social child.
I myself was a bottom shuffler and didn't walk till 21 months and was also an early talker. I have read an NHS document saying that bottom shufflers are often late walkers, typically not until 18 to 24 months. It annoys me a bit when people tend to judge my daughter for her lack of walking. I have had the look as if to say there must be something wrong or the comments that she is lazy. There are many reasons why bottom shufflers are late walkers (it's harder to stand from the sitting position, they don't build the same muscles needed for walking that crawlers do, they can move quickly and still have their hand's free etc), but lazyness certainly isn't one of them.
I have continued to see my Health Visitor who is happy with her progress and not worried given I was the same and the fact she is a bottom shuffler. She has also had her hips and legs checked by the doctor.
Nursery have asked about this and I have informed them that the health visitor is happy. Then all of a sudden out of the blue the senco (special education needs) specialist approached my husband to say my daughter was being referred to her and handed him a load of paperwork to sign. There was no discussion with us that this was going to happen. To say it was a shock is an understatement and the paperwork is standardised and blatantly designed for a child with more severe difficulties. The whole thing has made me doubt myself that my daughter is fine. It am also extremely annoyed about the way the nursery has gone about it. In principal it is no bad thing the senco specialist getting involved and doing more formal exercises to strengthen my daughters legs. It's just the way they have gone about it. Am I being over sensitive?
Also they have now told us if she is not walking by the time she is 2 they will stop her moving up to the next room. Chances are this won't be a problem and she will be walking by then, but if it is an issue I can't help but think this will have an adverse effect of her development in other areas.