could this be apraxia?

[kickassmomma]

my daughter has had problems walking since last june. she is now 2.6, but since learning to walk she has never really stabilised on her feet, she also walked in an odd way which at first we couldnt really say why it just didnt seem right. we were told nothing is wrong. in novemeber she was assessed by a neurologist because she had begun to fall over without any cause. this would happen when she was walking and standing still. he told us she had loose joints and that could be a cause for her poor walking. since november her walking has gotten worse. most days she looks like she is drunk when she walks. she cannot walk in any fashion in a straight line and seems to have no sense of walls or door frames or shop displays. her eyes have been checked and they are fine. as have her ears. yesterday her walking was the worst i had ever seen in. she looked exactly like a baby who had just learnt to walk. unsteady on her feet and walking with them further apart than normal. it almost looked like she had pooed herself (sorry for the tmi). it was very strange. she also fell over several times, flat out on her front. twice narrowly missing cupboards and shop displays. today she has not been to bad but she has fallen over aagain a few times. she falls without warning and often if i am holding her hand i end up falling on top of her as i do not expect her to fall. her walking issues are not to the same severity everyday. somedays she is just very wobbly and falls over alot, another day she may walk into things all the time, and then on her worst days she will be as descirbe above (walking as if she had just taken her first steps). for a child who has been walking since she was 14months i am now becoming increasingly concerned. her respiratory consultant saw this finally the other day and admitted there may be something wrong and they'd need to keep an eye on her but said "if neuro dont know then i have no idea" i am of course taking her to the gp to see if we can have her walking ability assessed. but in the mean time i have asked on a few of the SN pages that i am already a member of. the main opinion is ataxia. after reading about it it sounds very much like my little girl but also reading about how bad it can be has worried me ( i took info from the ataxia charity support website). has anyone had any experience with ataxia and does this sound similar to ataxia?anyone with any info it would be great to hear it. especailly as my daughters walking seems to be 'regressing'

thankyou in advance :)

Just going to bump this for you.

I think you might have confused people by using "apraxia" in your thread title, which is dyspraxia, in the uk.

Only a specialist can diagnose ataxia, so it wouldn't be fair for anyone here to say yes or no. Regardless of diagnosis, is your DD getting any help with her hypermobility? A physio can help with balance exercises and a referral to an orthotist would help with supportive footwear and insoles, which can make a huge difference to a wobbly child. DS2 couldn't walk any distance at all until he got his piedro boots and supportive insoles because his feet would roll inwards and he'd fall over a lot and tire very easily.

There's an EDS/hypermobility support thread here, somewhere, by the way, which, whatever your DD's diagnosis might turn out to be, could give you lots of pointers and support.

hello Kickass. You could have been describing our DD, aged also 2.6. She has been walking since 17 mo, and still has a very wobbly, clumsy walking manner. She falls over all the time, walks into tables & walls, and is generally very clumsy. Does your DD have any other difficulties, like with her hands? How is her eating with cutlery? How is she at shape sorters and puzzles, since our DD also has issues with these. She is very energetic, so moving around alot, which makes it even more noticeable. She also spends a lot of time leaning on furniture, or against things. She really enjoys swings, and pushing pushchairs, so I always wonder if it is because these two activities take away using her legs, or adding extra support / balance.
Our neuro firstly said she was doing it on purpose (wtf) and then later said it was down to extreme clumsiness, so she is seeing an OT every week, which I personally am all for, except that it doesn't seem to make a difference.

Let me know if you find any answers, and this problem is a massive weight on my mind!

ouryve yes sorry i meant ataxia!! whoops!! i wasnt wanting people to really say whether they though she had it or not more, just more along the lines of wheather my dds symptoms seemed familiar to anyone on here. thankyou i will check that thread out. how would i go by geeting a referral to an orthotist?? i have a gp appontment on monday for my daughter to discuss my issues