Any correlation between ADHD and toe walking?

[KatWrangler]

I notice Conner is toe walking in certain situations. Like when he brushes his teeth or when he is pacing he walks on the front of his feet.

I always associated toe walking with Autism. Is there any correlation between ADHD?

[SpottedFoxx]

I know kids that toe walk that have nothing "wrong" with them at all.

[mistymama]

My toe walker has ADHD - but he's also got Aspergers.

I've never heard of any sort of link, and like a pp said, plenty of kids are toe walkers with no issues at all.

[Lollybrat]

My son's OT told me this:

Most children stop walking on the balls of their feet or on their toes by age 3. Children who continue after that age ususally do it our of habit. But in some children, this type of walking can be indicator of a nuerological or muscle dysfunction such as: sensory processing disorder, auditory processing disorder, autism spectrum disorders, issues with the Achilles tendon, muscle spasticity, among others. Also, toe walking doesn't have to be constant to indicate a problem.

DS toe walks at times and has ASD.

[KatWrangler]

Originally Posted by SpottedFoxx

I know kids that toe walk that have nothing "wrong" with them at all.

That is true. However, my son was diagnosed as ADHD. This is something that I have been wondering about since it is something he does. The Psychologist said no.

[kittynurse]

My son with ADHD was a toe walker but outgrew it. I have ADHD myself and don't recall toe walking. It has always been my understanding that toe walking can be a sensory thing, I assume that is why my son did it.

Martha

[KCMichigan]

I have a toe walker (4.75) and she has a PDD_NOS dx (mild). She in no way has ADHD or ADD....if anything she is hypo-active and fatigues quickly.

She mostly toe walks (less than 30% of the time) when stressed or as a sensory feedback.

[2boyzmama]

I was often a toe-walker as a kid, but only when barefoot. I think it was a sensory thing. Sometimes I didn't like the feel of the ground, other times I just liked the sensation of stretching my ankles as far as they would go. Sometimes I was pretending to be a ballerina. Sometimes I was pretending to be prancing like a gazelle

[DaughterOfKali]

I was going to say it could be sensory related.

[Heba]

Dr Robin Pauc holds that dyspraxia, dyslexia, what he terms "mild autism," OCD, Tourette's Syndrome of childhood, and ADHD are all symptoms of the same underlying condition since (he says) that one set of symptoms never exists in isolation. I would say therefore that there is possibly a link, even though this symptom is not one traditionally associated with ADHD.

[KatWrangler]

Thank you for the link. I will check it out.

I finally got my husband watching my son toe walk.

[Stephenie]

I've heard that SPD can often me mis-diagnosed for ADHD if the kid's a sensory seeker. Could you have the wrong diagnosis?

My ds has SPD and toe walks some.