Research suggests that toe walking can be a sign of autism, particularly when it's combined with language delays. In general, toe walking is more common in children with ASD and other neuropsychiatric conditions than in the general population.
Vestibular Difficulties
The vestibular system deals with the body's movements, posture, and muscle coordination. Children with autism often experience vestibular difficulties which again push their weight forward and end up encouraging toe walking.
Up until this point, there isn't anything to worry about. However, after your child is older than two years old, if they continue to toe walk, this could cause some concern. Many children with autism will continue to toe-walk after the two-year mark, which is an indication that there might be some sort of issue.
In some cases, it results from tight heel cords that restrict the range of movement in the ankle (Barrow et al., 2011). Toe walking can also be caused by a dysregulated vestibular or sensory system involving touch, proprioception, and vision.
Signs of autism in young children include: not responding to their name. avoiding eye contact. not smiling when you smile at them.
Signs and Symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder
People with ASD often have problems with social communication and interaction, and restricted or repetitive behaviors or interests. People with ASD may also have different ways of learning, moving, or paying attention.
People with mild autism still have a hard time communicating and interacting with others. They can also find it difficult to change their routine and can be sensitive to sounds, pain, tastes, or other sensations. But generally, they are able to carry out the tasks of daily living well.
Is walking on tiptoes a sign of autism? Research suggests that toe walking can be a sign of autism, particularly when it's combined with language delays. In general, toe walking is more common in children with ASD and other neuropsychiatric conditions than in the general population.
Signs include: severe pronation of the subtalar joint (below the ankle) and collapse of the midtarsal joint, located in the middle of the foot. The long arch has lost its architectural shape and stability and the toes are deformed.
They concluded that children with ADHD have frequently more toe walking and Achilles shortening than controls, especially if they presented with a social communication disorder or a family history of toe walking.
Children with ASD tend to augment their walking stability with a reduced stride length, increased step width and therefore wider base of support, and increased time in the stance phase. Children with ASD have reduced range of motion at the ankle and knee during gait, with increased hip flexion.
People with autism walk even more slowly or are wobblier than usual, which suggests that problems with attention may also factor into their movement challenges.
Sometimes, toe-walking can become purely habitual. A few potential factors that may contribute to the toe-walking include: difficulty with processing sensory information through their feet and/or legs, muscular tightness and/or weakness, poor bony alignment, or nervous system involvement.
When to see a doctor. If your child is still toe walking after age 2, talk to your doctor about it. Make an appointment sooner if your child also has tight leg muscles, stiffness in the Achilles tendon or a lack of muscle coordination.
A child with mild autism can ultimately lead a very “normal”, productive, and independent life. With early intervention, a child with autism can learn the skills needed for successful navigation in communication and social interaction with peers in school.
Traits like distractibility and impulsivity, for example, are part of the ADHD diagnosis. While they're not part of the autism diagnosis, they appear in most people with autism. Speech delays and idiosyncrasies are part of the autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis and not the ADHD diagnosis.
A child with level 1 autism may understand and speak in complete sentences, but have difficulty engaging in back-and-forth conversation. Children with ASD level 1 experience some inflexibility of behavior, like difficulty switching between tasks, staying organized, and planning.
Some developmental health professionals refer to PDD-NOS as “subthreshold autism." In other words, it's the diagnosis they use for someone who has some but not all characteristics of autism or who has relatively mild symptoms.
Although the exact cause of autism is still unknown, there is evidence to suggest that genetics play a significant role. Since autism is less prevalent in females, autism was always thought to be passed down from the mother. However, research suggests that autism genes are usually inherited from the father.
About stimming and autism
Stimming might include: hand and finger mannerisms – for example, finger-flicking and hand-flapping. unusual body movements – for example, rocking back and forth while sitting or standing. posturing – for example, holding hands or fingers out at an angle or arching the back while sitting.
The behavioral symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often appear early in development. Many children show symptoms of autism by 12 months to 18 months of age or earlier. Some early signs of autism include: Problems with eye contact.
Behaviour: early signs of autism
have repetitive behaviours – for example, they might spin the wheels of a toy car or pram repeatedly, or take the clothes on and off a doll repeatedly. interact with toys and objects in unexpected ways – for example, they might enjoy lining up objects or putting toys into piles.