anyone else see this in their child

[KateBall]

DS still walks downstairs one at a time still rather than as we would all do one each foot. Also sometimes when he walks he holds his arms and hands just like Tommy Cooper used to do if you know what I mean. Arms bent at the elbows in front of him - hands dangling down. Anyone else see this in their children?

 

He's 9 by the way

Edited November 8, 2007 by KateBall

[Mumble]

My brother (ASD) does the two feet to a stair thing - he can do it at quite a rate too - always looks like he's going to fall but he hasn't done so yet. I guess it's a balance/perception thing in part - stairs are wwwayyyyyy wonky for me.

[DaisyProudfoot]

Martin (11) always walks downstairs like he's got bad legs and yes, one at a time holding the wall but then he walks funny generally

[SarahSH]

Hi Kate

 

yes, my son always did that on the stairs when he was younger - 15 now and doesn't do it any more, but it still looks like an effort. It used to look like it was way too high for him to stretch swinging each leg up in turn, so he went up one foot at a time and then brought the other one onto the same stair, like a toddler.

 

He has an AS diagnosis, but also dyspraxia, which I gather goes with it sometimes but not always. The paediatrician said something about weak muscle tone, which means it's like he's going against more gravity than most people, like walking through treacle.

 

Doesn't do the tommy cooper thing, but does hold himself kind of stiffly a lot of the time, as if he's having to work to hold himself together. Doesn't automatically know where his body is, if you know what I mean.

 

Makes life so much harder - just carrying himself and getting to places needs thinking about. Wonder whether it means you might kind of forget where your hands are, unless you keep them ready?

 

Sarah

[SarahSH]

Hi Kate

 

yes, my son always did that on the stairs when he was younger - 15 now and doesn't do it any more, but it still looks like an effort. It used to look like it was way too high for him to stretch swinging each leg up in turn, so he went up one foot at a time and then brought the other one onto the same stair, like a toddler.

 

He has an AS diagnosis, but also dyspraxia, which I gather goes with it sometimes but not always. The paediatrician said something about weak muscle tone, which means it's like he's going against more gravity than most people, like walking through treacle.

 

Doesn't do the tommy cooper thing, but does hold himself kind of stiffly a lot of the time, as if he's having to work to hold himself together. Doesn't automatically know where his body is, if you know what I mean.

 

Makes life so much harder - just carrying himself and getting to places needs thinking about. Wonder whether it means you might kind of forget where your hands are, unless you keep them ready?

 

Sarah

[Tilly]

Dd also done the two feet on one stair up until last year when she was 10 - incidentally if there was anything on the stairs she would opt to come down on her bottom. Don't know if this will go down very well but I did comment to her about the way she came down the stairs and told her to do the one foot one stair whilst holding the hand rail or I think she would have gone up and down the stairs like a toddler.

 

She also walks slightly on her toes or tends to skip on one foot.

tilly

[Lynden]

We are trying to teach Logan stairs at the moment and its a nightmare! He's 4 btw. He is starting to walk up them with help one at a time, but coming down he has no perception of his environment or his body and misses steps and he leans really far forward so that if I weren't holding him he'd just land in a heap at the bottom!

 

Lynne x

[cmuir]

Hi

 

Yup, my boy is 6 and does the stair thing. Why is that?

 

Caroline.

[Ian Jordan]

magnocellular processing problems integrating with praxis - but too much to explain in a post.

 

you have to get visual processing / visiospatial awareness right to sort these out

[sesley]

DS still walks downstairs one at a time still rather than as we would all do one each foot. Also sometimes when he walks he holds his arms and hands just like Tommy Cooper used to do if you know what I mean. Arms bent at the elbows in front of him - hands dangling down. Anyone else see this in their children?

 

He's 9 by the way

 

 

 

 

my asd 8 year old walk on the balls of his feet,

[BuntyB]

Lucy's 12 and still does two feet on each stair. She also says her knees 'don't bend' so she won't pick anything up off the floor unless she sits on the floor.

[KateBall]

Thanks everyone for the replies. It seems the stair thing is a common issue then. Sarah - my ds goes up stairs fairly normally - its only the coming down bit he struggles with, so in view of that I wouldn't say it could be weak muscle tone cos he'd struggle going up as well as down wouldn't he?

 

Nor has he opted to go down on his bottom.

 

Don't know what he's up to with the hands. Perhaps he does want to be another Tommy Cooper.

 

Thanks Ian for the professional view - haven't a clue what you mean of course but it makes me more determined to get a consultation with you for ds. Hope to get a chance to introduce myself to you on Monday at the conference.

 

Mumble - how do you cope with stairs like over railways where they have no back to them? I find them extremely difficult myself. My ds also can't cope on the moving walkway in Tesco or escalators. You think he's ok and going to get on and then when he doesn't at the very last minute he gets left behind and you have to go round again to collect him - although I have had strangers grab him and stick him on when they hear my desperate pleas from below!

 

Thanks all

[jools]

G scares me the way he comes down stairs....how he hasn't fell and broke something i don't know!

 

he sort of twists his upper body slightly so that both hands are holding the rail, and his upper body is also bent forward as if he is top heavy then he almost runs down them.

it always looks as though he is going to go head over heels!