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ASD and toe walking - Suggestions to eliminate it?

asc79asc79
in Special Needs

Hello,

Our almost 4 year old with ASD still walks on his toes. He's not quite as high up on his toes as he used to be and can walk flat footed. We tried a foot massage that our OT taught us several times per day for three or four months and it didn't help. But at least it stretched his tendons.

 We are now thinking about using AFO. Does anyone have experience with braces? Any suggestions to eliminate the toe walking? Our biggest worry is that one day he might no longer be able to walk flat footed and might require surgery to extend his tendons.

 Thanks! 

M/C and D&C - 09/20/06 at 9 weeks // Chemical pregnancy - 02/04/07 // M/C in April '07 // Diagnosed with MTHFR in May 2007 // Baby boy born on 11/11/2008 - Dx ASD in June 2011 and is non-verbal. // Lost baby boy at 21 weeks of pregnancy on 04/08/2010 // Baby girl born on 05/23/2011 - Healthy and happy so far and praying for the best!
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Re: ASD and toe walking - Suggestions to eliminate it?

  • birdie_1010birdie_1010 member
    My son was a heel walker, which apparently isn't as common, but the same idea as toe walking.  I don't know if this is typical, but my son saw a big decrease in heel walking when we started doing OT sessions 2 times per week and implemented the Wilbarger brushing protocol.  I know not everyone sees success with brushing, but it has been really helpful for our DS.
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  • Ginlyn0Ginlyn0 member
    I'm not going to be much help in regards to fixing the toe walking but I wanted to mention that my DD is a toe walker when she is nervous or excited. So she can walk flat footed but toe walks alot. She has AS. She's 12 now and she's never had any sort of issues contributed by the toe walking.
    DD(14),SD(13),SS(11),SS(9),DS(3)

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  • MirandaHobbesMirandaHobbes member
    My son has gradually grown out of it and now only does it occasionally when very excited or very upset (he's 4.5). We had him evaluated by a PT thinking they could do some tendon stretching stuff but they determined it was not a PT issue, only sensory. I asked my pedi if we should put him in flat footed, hard soled shoes and he said no- better to have the arch support of a good shoe. I guess I just gave up worrying about it after awhile. We used to tell DS "off your toes" and he'd kinda whine and say "but I HAVE to!" Obviously it's an outlet for him. I don't want him to be stigmatized at school, but I don't know what else we can really do at this point. His OT suggested brushing techniques but even his pedi said it really isn't that helpful for most kids. Sorry I'm not more help.
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  • MamminaMammina
    I read where some parents on a different message board mention using Botox for this purpose. I'm in no way suggesting it as I don't know anything more about its use, but I thought I would put that out there for you to look into if interested.
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  • gimmietimmiesgimmietimmies member
    Ds is not asd, but definitely a toe walker. He's been followed by ortho for quite some time to try correct it. AFOs really helped, and he wears skateboard shoes (like dc) to help keep his feet down. They have good insoles with arch support, but stiffer soles so it's harder for him to get up there. This plan was put together by his ortho, so far so good. Not sure what to suggest if it's sensory though, unless he's open to gentle reminders or non-verbal cues.
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  • asc79asc79
    Thanks so much for the replies!
    M/C and D&C - 09/20/06 at 9 weeks // Chemical pregnancy - 02/04/07 // M/C in April '07 // Diagnosed with MTHFR in May 2007 // Baby boy born on 11/11/2008 - Dx ASD in June 2011 and is non-verbal. // Lost baby boy at 21 weeks of pregnancy on 04/08/2010 // Baby girl born on 05/23/2011 - Healthy and happy so far and praying for the best!
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  • MeredithS83MeredithS83
    My daughter has an ASD diagnosis and has been a toe walker since she learned to walk. We worked with OT and PT for years. Her issue is that the toe walking is a sensory issue. She can't help it and we can't change it! Her leg muscles are now overdeveloped and she has lost range of motion from the muscles shortening. Her arches have fallen and she now pronates. She wears SureStep SMOs and those have helped a ton! They are restrictive, she can still get up on her toes, but the toe walking isn't so extreme. It has helped support her arches and helps the pronating. Her pain has been much better. We also do stretches twice a day at home and they do them once a day at school. I wasn't a fan of the night time braces that were more like a walking boot to stretch her legs and increase range of motion. We had enough issues with sleeping to begin with!
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