Does not crawling really hinder development in other ways?

[pgwithnumber3]

I ask for my cousin, her DS has never crawled, just walked at 12 months. He can't crawl up stairs or crawl over obstacles if we go to soft play centres.

She has expressed concerns (her dad was a special needs teacher and was concerned as said it was vital for development). Can anyone put her mind at rest?

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Apparently I never crawled. I walked at 9 months and walked up stairs and eventually (around 3 or 4) learned to climb. Badly.

I am not very sporty or espcially co-ordinated, but I can drive, ski, walk, run and had a very successful career!!

My DD didn't crawl, she was a bum shuffler. She is now nearly two and so far have not noticed any problems but she is still young. However she can crawl now such as upstairs, and have seen her crawl on the floor once or twice but only after she started walking and is something she has done very rarely.

most likely no probs but apparently there is a link between dyslexia and not crawling

but this can be rectified at any age by doing crawling exercises and not all dyslexics don't crawl and all non-crawlers aren't dyslexics!

A friend's dd never crawled and went straight to walking. She did struggle for a bit doing stuff lke climbing or going up stairs but that was only temporary and at 3 she is absolutely fine (and scarily bright).

My DS never crawled, neither did I. My DS walked at around 13m.

Both of us can crawl now if required!

My sister and I never crawled. Walked at 14 months. Are quite normal, mostly.

Are you sure Habbibu?

I believe this to be a myth. Many children with dyspraxia don't crawl. Their not crawling is an early symptom of their dyspraxia, lack of coordination etc, not a cause of it.
In many cultures children never crawl because they are carried until they are one and the ground is stony and hazardous. It doesn't hold them back. Crawling is as much cultural as developmental.

If DD2 didn't crawl up the stairs, my life would be a breeze! I have 4 sets of stairs in this house. Life is bloody hard atm!

did qualify it with mostly... I can't spread the toes on my right foot

I believe crawling is not considered a developmental milestone, because not all children crawl - for very normal reasons.

Apparantly in Scandinavia they think that crawling first is very important and do exercises with young babies that help coordinate their limbs to start crawling. THis was something that my HV showed us at baby massage class. It involved crossing the legs over the body one at a time and sometinhg with the arms, can't quite remember.

Anyway just a point I thought others might find interesting. I don't think that crawling is vastly important. Also have bum shufflers in my family

I don't think it's about crawling before other types of movement.

It's about being able to crawl at some stage. It's something about patterning in the brain or something.

Need to ask a physio!

my ds never crawled

he also just got up and walked at around 12months

he is nearly 6 now

he is entirely normal developmentally

I have no idea if it hinders development. But DD1 didn't crawl - she shuffled on her bottom, but not til she was a year old, and finally walked at 16 months. She's now 5, bright as anything, runs, jumps, climbs, explores everything and everywhere. It doesn't seem to have made a difference. Wish I'd known that when people (including health visitor) were making us feel anxious that she wasn't crawling.

i didnt crawl - walked at 8 months
DP didn't crawl - walked at 18 months
DD didn't crawl - walked at 17 months.

I am academicly minded, but completely cac handed and STILL struggle to know my left from right.

My DP is not very academic but can make anything you like out of a peice of wood.

DD is only three so i'll reserve judgement

There is definitely a link between Special Educational Needs such as dyslexia and dyspraxia BUT as noonki said earlier, not crawling does not mean the child will definitely have issues, it just increases the risk.

I didn't crawl either, I walked at 9 months. I am fine in all ways...I think

I've always been a bit confused about the link, a bit chicken and the egg for me, don't crawl so have SEN or have SEN therefore don't crawl? My dd has dyspraxia and AS and never crawled, but I never crawled and I am fine (although I do ramble .
I seem to think it is something to do with crossing the midline and neural pathways?

My DD never crawled, she was a bum shuffler. She walked at almost 2 and for a long time was very clumsy. She is 9 now and although not very athletic, she can climb but wearily.
She has also been diagnosed as having dyslexia.

Crawling involves using opposite sides of the brain at the same time, eg, left leg, right arm and helps to develop the left/right connections in the brain.

There are studies to show that a large proportion of dyslexic and dyspraxic children never crawled and a lot of the therapy involved in helping those children incorporates crawling and movements that use opposite sides of the body at the same time.

Like MsDemeanor says, it's a symptom, not a cause, so there's no need to panic!

My DB never crawled as a baby, parents tried a family crawling race when he was a bit older and he still couldnt coordinate enough to crawl. He does have some problems with putting ideas on paper etc, and also had some behavioural problems. Still has an intense lack of coordination (he's 23) BUT I dont think that all non crawlers are destined for these probs. With DB it was obvious even at that age that he had severe problems with coordination.

I was a bum-shuffler, not a crawler, have no problems in terms of dyslexia/dyspraxia etc. BUT I do have back problems and have had for many years, since I was a child (not diagnosed, nothing done about it until I was 30). THis might be because I have a long-ish back for my height, it might be because I didn't strengthen my back muscles by not crawling or it could be any number of other things.

pgwithno3, how old is your cousin's ds now?