slow walkers

[kirstie]

Hi all,

just wondering if any of you have had an apparently NT child who was very slow to walk or talk? i mean 18 months or older. I know all babies and kids develop differently but my son has gone 18 months and isn't walking. He is to attend the development clinic next week but i am quite worried. He will walk holding onto the settee or table but theres something odd about the way he does it. He will only put one foot flat to the floor and its almost as if he doesn't want to put his weight on the left one.

Anyway thought i'd ask, any replies would be appreciated!

[bikergal]

Dd1 (13) didn't walk until she was exactly 17 and a half months, she crawled backwards before she could go forwards . When she did walk it was often on tiptoes, one of her feet turned slightly too. She was given a proper label only last year of atypical autism. She also has very lax joints and some features of dyspraxia. She was a little late in sitting too, and would take ages to chew her food. She didn't use a knife and fork for a long time either. Her sister (11) NT walked at about 15 months ,so neither of them walked particularly early. I was told by health professionals that 17 months for walking is within the normal range. At the time we had a neighbour whose 9 month old baby was walking...I find that scary! I don't know if any of this helps but you're doing the right thing by going to the clinic. <'>

[SarahSH]

Hi kirstie

 

haven't posted before but your post reminded me of my son now 14 who is dyspraxic. I had 2 Nt kids who walked at 14/15 mnths, so I knew he would be a late walker, but it seemed to go on forever - for years I could only cook onehanded because he was welded to my hip.

 

he did walk eventually, but I recognise that light step you mentioned. he still walks like he desn't really want to put his foot down hard. I wonder if it's connected to that proprioception thing, where some kids don't have a great sense of where their bodies are in relation to things?

 

But this is not to say your child has the same difficulty as my son. I think all these things are such a mixture - what's neuro-typical, anyway? Different kids seem to have all sorts of different things mixed up in what they find easy and what they find hard. i resisted a label for years because to me he was just him, like the others were.

 

Hope you get something useful from your clinic visit,

Sarah

[jlp]

My 3 year old walked at 17 moths and was late talking, crawling and sitting too (on the outer edge of 'normal') He was also a tip toe walker when he did eventually walk.

 

I do know of a child who was very slow to walk and it turned out that he had hip problems.

 

Best that you are getting your son checked out just to be on the safe side.

[carrieq]

DD1 NT,bottom shuffled till 18 months, ds AS ADHD etc walked at 13 months but didn't talk till late and dd2 was walking at just over 10mths and doesn't ever shut up or stop moving until she falls asleep!!! All very different

Carrie

[baddad]

My little fella was a bit late with all the milestones too; sitting, crawling, talking etc.

 

Walking was at 14 months, so not a huge delay (and in 'normal' ranges - god i hate that word!) but putting them all together he was just born to be late! I'd agree with a lot of stuff that's already been said - elements of dyspraxia, lax muscles etc, and I also think that part of it is just that delay in conceptual understanding - i think our kids are less likely to do things for the usual reasons, and sometimes its just a case of them starting to see the benefit of a particular milestone before they try to achieve it. Other kids just try stuff in a sort of 'what the hell - I'll give this a try' spirit, and will be viewing others in a way that - while not quite amounting to a sense of 'self' - is far more responsive to external stimuli than our more introspective littlies.

 

 

 

That said, Mine was the FASTEST CRAWLER on the planet at 13 months - like a cross between Swee'pea and Billy Whizz! - And while i was overjoyed when he got up and walked it sort of broke my heart a little bit that I'd never see his little butt wiggling off over the horizon again!

 

Awwww, magic and loss, every flippin' day

 

 

 

L&P

 

 

 

BD

[Faithnomore]

My dad didn't walk 'til he was 2, he's NT. DS2 didn't really talk 'til he was 2 1/2 and walked at 10 mths, he's NT. DS1 talked at 12mths and walked at 9 mths and he has ADHD and mild autism. DD had the same walking and talking milestones as DS1, she's NT. Early walking is a genetic trait for my kids as their dad also walked at 9 mths.

[Kathryn]

L was also late with all the physical milestones. She never crawled as she hated lying on her tummy. She pulled herself up to stand and walked within about two weeks at the age of 20 months. It was as though she had just decided one day to do it. Her brother walked at about 17 months, so both were late: one has AS, the other is NT. I was a very late walker myself apparently, also around the 20 month mark.

[kirstie]

Thanks for your replies!

I like reading all of the different stories, maybe i am worrying over nothing, but you know when THAT feeling is there and it's niggleing away at the back of my mind.

Aiden didn't sit up untill his first birthday and didn't crawl properly untill he was about 14 months maybe later, he preferred the sniper approach and thinking about it would drag the left leg. It's a strange one as he will walk on his knees no problem!

anyway i shall let you know how we go at the clinic next week.

Thanks again!

[dooday24]

reece didnt walk till he was about 22 moths but shan walked at 9 months

[butterfingersbimbo]

el walked at nine months!