Prevalence of Toe Walking
Pediatrics will be publishing research on toe walking in children. A recent study looked at almost 1500 five and half year old children from Sweden. For children with a diagnosis of developmental delay or neuropsychiatric disorders, such as an autism spectrum disorder, more than 40 percent of children were currently or had been toe-walkers.
The study revealed that about 5% of the group of children had idiopathic toe walking. Most of the 5% started off walking on their toes and less started toe walking in the first year of walking. More than half of the children with a history of idiopathic toe walking were no longer toe walkers at 5.5 years of age.
This research confirmed that toe walking has a higher prevelance in children with a cognitive disorder but no cause and effect relationship was established.
Reference: Pähr Engström and Kristina Tedroff. The Prevalence and Course of Idiopathic Toe-Walking in 5-Year-Old Children. Pediatrics peds.2012-0225; Published online July 23, 2012 (10.1542/peds.2012-0225)
Check out previous blog posts on toe walking:
Taming Idiopathic Toe Walking: A Treatment Guide for Parents and Therapists is a great electronic or print book that provides a non-invasive, efficient and effective sensory treatment strategy for children and adolescents that display atypical toe walking.
Written by renowned Occupational Therapist, Ileana S. McCaigue, OTR/L, ‘Taming Idiopathic Toe Walking: A Treatment Guide for Parents and Therapists’ serves as a definitive manual for children and adolescents that display atypical toe walking behaviors. Inspired by the overcoming of toe walking by numerous children during her years of practice, McCaigue’s professional expertise and personal experiences are fused into a powerful resource. FIND OUT MORE.
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