About 85 percent of the children in each group walked independently by 18 months. But when researchers focused on children with IQs of around 50, they found that 60 percent of the children with intellectual disability, ADHD or language disorders walked by 18 months compared with 80 percent of those with autism.
Delayed walking has also been reported in other specific developmental disabilities, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
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.
Children with ASD have altered gait patterns to healthy controls, widened base of support, and reduced range of motion. Several studies refer to cerebellar and basal ganglia involvement as the patterns described suggest alterations in those areas of the brain.
On the other hand, Damasio and Maurer (2) and Vilensky et al. (3) showed that autistic children between the ages of 3 and 10 walk somewhat like Parkinsonian adults in that they walk more slowly than normal, with shorter steps.
A dysfunctional vestibular system, a common problem in autism, may be responsible for toe walking. The vestibular system provides the brain with feedback regarding body motion and position.
autistic children often have difficulties with posture, coordination and motor planning. Research consistently shows that autistic children can experience both gross and fine motor delays and/or atypical motor patterns (e.g. Green et al. 2002).
Children with ASD often have problems with their feet and ankles. Some of the common problems that podiatrists help with in children with ASD are sensation issues, such as not being able to feel pain in the feet; and alignment issues, such as toe walking (tip-toeing) or flat feet.
Many parents of children with autism find that their kids tend to wander away, sometimes getting into dangerous situations. They may walk away from a school outing, or go to great lengths to leave even a securely locked house.
Relation to Autism
However, in 2019 a large-scale review of trends and treatment patterns found that 9% of children with ASD are diagnosed with persistent/idiopathic toe walking compared to less than 0.5% of children without an autism diagnosis (Leyden et al., 2019).
Children with ASD may have physical symptoms that range from difficulty with coordinating muscle movement to low muscle tone. Children with autism spectrum disorder are also less likely to participate in physical activity than their age- related peers.
People with autism may use some of these behaviors to try to impose order on their world: “Stimming.” Short for self-stimulatory behaviors, this includes all sorts of things: flapping hands, echoing phrases, making noises, and walking in circles.
Children who have an autism diagnosis may toe walk as they have sensory difficulties. Some children with autism spectrum disorder experience a feeling of discomfort in certain areas of the feet when they touch the ground.
Some children with autism smile to show they're happy but don't share their enjoyment. Others show little facial expression or have flat affect and rarely smile so you may not know when they're happy.
A child with ASD can be challenging—they may be restless; have trouble sleeping, eating or speaking; experience seizures; or have meltdowns born of frustration or overstimulation. Expectations for a “normal” life may need to be adjusted.
However, they look up to the mother or caregiver for social referencing and hover around or cling to the caregiver. Children with an ASD are not vigilant and do not look up to the caregiver for social referencing. They may not cling to the caregiver, although go up to them for succor.
Children with ASD often need a hug, just like other children. Sometimes they need this much more than other children. But some children don't like to be touched. Respect their personal space.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a heterogeneous, behaviorally defined, neurodevelopmental disorder that has been modeled as a brain-based disease. The behavioral and cognitive features of ASD are associated with pervasive atypicalities in the central nervous system (CNS).
The Triad of Impairments:
People with significant difficulties in all 3 areas (social interaction, communication and imagination) may have ASD. However, there can be other reasons for difficulties in these areas.
Strained social interactions
It is common for people with HFA to have difficulty interacting with their peers. Often, they are deemed socially awkward and have a problem making friends. Also, it is often challenging for them to understand nonverbal communication, puns, and other subtle forms of humour.
The study brings hope to those parents who worry that children who are not talking by age 4 or 5 are unlikely to develop speech at all. Some children with ASD develop meaningful language after age 5. "There is a burst of kids in the 6- to 7- age range who do get language," Dr. Wodka said.
Many have problems with the meaning and rhythm of words and sentences. They also may be unable to understand body language and the meanings of different vocal tones. Taken together, these difficulties affect the ability of children with ASD to interact with others, especially people their own age.
Autistic speech delays usually occur along with other communication issues, such as not using gestures, not responding to their name, and not showing interest in connecting with people. Other possible causes of speech delays include hearing loss and developmental delays.
They occur because of the extreme rigidity of thinking associated with Autism and the inability to deal with unexpected events. These refusal episodes can be seen as a “temporary paralysis of will” which will count towards a “virtual inability to walk”.