Toe walking: a marker for language disorders in the developmentally disabled

Toe walking, or walking on the toes, is a recognizable sign of many neuromuscular disorders that affect the shortening of the Achilles tendon in the back of the foot, such as muscular dystrophy and cerebral palsy, but it can also be a sign of autism. It may be a normal stage many children go through in developing a normal walk, but if it persists may be a sign of congenital problems. To investigate correlations between toe walking and language and other nonmotor developmental disorders, 1,275 children referred for developmental disability diagnoses were examined. Toe walking was observed in 799 of these children, and the prevalence of toe walking was seen to increase with greater severity of language dysfunction. The incidence of toe walking among autistic children was 62.9 percent; among those with communication disorders, 40.2 percent; among those with mental retardation, 35.8 percent; and among those with learning disabilities, 20 percent. This supports the use of toe walking as a screening device during developmental assessments of young children. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)