Does your child walk on the balls of her or his feet? While relatively common in toddlers, if your child is still walking on his tiptoes or the balls of his feet after age three¬–or starts doing so as he gets older– this may be a neurological soft sign you should investigate with your pediatrician and physical therapist. A child with sensory issues may walk on tiptoes to avoid intolerable tactile input on the supersensitive soles of her feet. She may walk on the smallest surface area of her foot possible to avoid the feeling of a shoe or sock, or if barefoot, the sensation of the floor, carpet, sand, or grass. A child with impaired body awareness due to proprioceptive and visual-spatial difficulties may have an altered sense of his body’s center of mass and so may shift his body weight forward as he moves so that walking is more like controlled falling. Speak with your occupational or physical therapist about whether you need to consult a developmental pediatrician or neurologist about this. Meanwhile: • Teach your child names of parts including parts of the foot, and prompt him to walk with his heels down. • Desensitize feet by massaging them with or without lotion, engaging in deep pressure “brushing,” scrubbing feet with gentle soap and a washcloth in the tub, using vibrating toys on the feet, and playing with barefeet in the sandbox or a homemade sensory bin. • Have your child jump on a mini-trampoline, holding your hands or a safety bar. Make sure she lands with her heels down. • Ask your OT or PT to show you how to stretch your child’s heel cord since calf muscles tighten up from toe walking. • Investigate whether wearing seamless socks (softclothing.net or smartknitkids) or inside-out socks make a difference. • Reconsider footwear. Is there a difference between walking barefoot and in a shoe? Do shoes fit properly and provide good foot support? • Ask your OT or PT about whether wearing a weighted belt (miraclebelt) ankle weights to increase proprioceptive feedback from joints, muscles, and connective tissue. • For new walkers, try Pipsqueaker sneakers (pipsqueakers) that squeak when the heel strikes down. Place your order by phone to request they move the squeaker back to the heel before shipping to you. • Discuss with your PT or OT whether your child should have high top sneakers or an orthotic shoe insert that will help support proper alignment and hold the heel down. If your child does need an orthosis such as an AFO, try the seamless AFO socks from smartknitkids. Youll find detailed recommendations like these in our book, Raising a Sensory Smart Child, available at amazon/exec/obidos/ASIN/0143115340/sensorysmarts-20 -Lindsey Biel, OTR/L
Posted on: Sat, 27 Dec 2014 21:02:00 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015