May 12, 2014

Tippy Toes: The Cutest Symptom Ever

M's preferred standing position 

M, like many kids on the autism spectrum, tends to walk primarily on her tippy toes. For as long as she has been able to balance, she has been walking, running and standing on her toes. At first we thought that it was cute- she was walking like a little princess. 
When she was 3 years old, her preschool teacher brought it up to us. Mrs. G gently suggested that we contact our doctor to do an evaluation. It wasn't until a family member mentioned it to us again a few months later that we decided to bring it up to M's pediatrician. At the appointment they observed her walking and tested the elasticity of her Achilles tendon. M's pediatrician told us that there was no physical reason that she walked on her toes and diagnosed her with "idiopathic toe walking." It was at this appointment that they referred her to be evaluated for autism. (Toe walking is a symptom of autism.)

Fast forward two years, she is getting better about walking on her "flat feet." M is constantly reminded by family and teachers to walk with her heels touching the ground. However, at her 5 year check up, her pediatrician was not pleased with the amount progress she had made and referred us to an orthopedist. The concern is that her tendons will tighten and cause pain down the road. They suggested that she be fitted for an ankle-foot brace at that appointment. Unfortunately, 80% of children with idiopathic toe walking will go right back to walking on their toes after the braces come off. I asked the doctor if we could give M a few more months before giving the go ahead on the braces. 

A few weeks after the consult for the braces, we came across a pair of silver high tops. As I stood there having a flashback to the days when Punky Brewster rocked a similar fashion- I realized that these bedazzled beauties could help M keep her heels on the ground. She put them on, took a few steps, turned and exclaimed "I can't walk on my toes!" She was sold and so was I! 


M's "flat feet" shoes

We hope that this is a step in the right direction..away from leg braces!

*Please note: Not all children that walk on their toes are autistic & not all autistic children walk on their toes! If your child walks up on their toes- it does not mean that they will have tendon damage. Please contact your pediatrician if you feel that your child needs to have their toe walking looked at! More often than not, kids will out grow the habit before any damage is done.


34 comments:

  1. I have a question, my 3 year old walks, prances, dances and runs on her toes but it is not all of the time, is this something I should bring up to her pedi, We prefer homeopathic remedies.

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  2. Now that's a smart mom! You knew what would work for her and this seems to fit the bill. She's lucky to have you.

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  3. Such cute shoes!! It is so interesting that tippy toes are a sign of autism, that has always struck me as a crazy thing to be a sign. There must be some medical reason behind it though! Glad the shoes are helping :)

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  4. Love her new kicks! My friend's daughter has Sensory Process Disorder and does the same thing. She just started braces which is no fun for either of them.

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  5. I remember the first times I saw M walk on her tippy toes - she was so little. I LOVE her sparkly high tops - they are so HER!

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  6. My youngest walked on his tippy toes for a while when he was first walking, but he ended up learning to walk correctly after a while.

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  7. I salute you on this shoe idea. So great.

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  8. My 2 year old has a tendency to do this.. and while I was sitting there thinking how cute it was... I had a physical therapist over one day helping one of my daycare boys w his therapy and he looked at her and said 'Um.. that's not cute.. we need to get her to not walking on her tippy toes'.. I never knew it was such a big deal but WOW!

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  9. Oh wow. I never knew that this happened. My middle child is on the spectrum and never had tippy toe walking. I hope it can be worked out so as to not cause any major damage, even though it was cute as a little one to see them walking like that I am sure. Good luck!!

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  10. My neighbor girl has autism and walks on her tippy toes too. I am going to share this post with her mom. I think she will really appreciate it!

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  11. What a smart mom!! I hope it continues to you for your daughter.

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  12. I did not know that - tippy toes is a sign of autism. Sometimes my kids fool around and walk on the their tippy toes but it's never for long.

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  13. I never knew that was a symptom of autism before. I love the new shoes that you got her, they are super cute!

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  14. Those shoes are so cute! I like your disclaimer. That's where the problem comes in- there are so many things that can present themselves that could be autism and might not be.

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  15. Good thinking! She's got a smart mama with good taste in sparkly shoes. :)

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  16. Those shoes are adorable! I also love it when little girls walk on their tip toes. I wasn't aware that it could be a sign of autism.

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  17. I never knew that was a symptom. They shoes are so cute. I am so glad she loves them and I hope they help her!

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  18. I have never heard of the toe walking correlation with autism! You learn something new every day. I remember walking on my toes a lot as a kid and at one point I think my parents considered I could be on the autism spectrum but nothing every came of that. It makes me smile to see M got a pair of sparkly shoes that will help her in the long run :)

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  19. I had no idea that walking on your toes was an autism sign. My cousins have muscular dystrophy and I know that was one of the early signs too.

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  20. I know a number of parents with children with autism. I've never heard walking on your toes was a sign.

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  21. Hope they continue to help her stay off her toes. Buy a bunch while you can find them if they do!

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  22. I honestly think it is cute to see little kids walk on their toes. I guess I never stopped to think that it is not good to walk like that all the time and even it being a sign of autism

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  23. I think it is an adorable symptom! I never knew to look for this

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  24. my niece is a toe walker, i think it's adorable. I find myself walking on my toes on the hardwood floors too. hate the feeling of it on my feet

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  25. Awesome job mom! Plus she loves the shoes! Double win!

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  26. what a great idea for your girl. I love that you thought outside the box for her.

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  27. I'm glad this has proven to be a workaround for you. Woohoo to a darling solution!

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  28. When I was younger everyone was worried about how I walked too. It turned out it was just a phase! It's so strange how things work out.

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  29. I did not know about the tippy toe thing. My middle child would kill for those high tops.

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  30. This is really interesting. I had no idea this was a symptom.

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  31. Awesome! Even better those shoes are super cute and they will help serve as a reminder to stay off her tippy toes.
    ~amanda

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  32. All my kids walked on their tippy toes like that. I was a ballerina growing up so I thought it was super cute LOL

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  33. I remember my neighbors son walked on his tippy toes growing up. He was the first kid that I noticed who did that.

    I love those shoes. I bought them for my daughter. :)

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  34. First of all I really love those feet! The shoes are cute as well.

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