IVF Pregnancy Information » Parenting after IVF

3 year old can barely jump?

(21 posts)(6 voices)

  1. milesrbinovski

    Paranoid mom question here.

    My DS turned 3 last month and he can still barely jump. If he broad jumps it's only a few inches and if he jumps straight up it's only a few inches. I think DD was leaping all around everywhere at the same age, but it seems so difficult for DS. It sounds like a muscle tone issue but he was able to stand so early (like at 4 months old I could stand him by the couch and he would stay there) and he began walking alone at 10 months. Anyone else have this issue and should I take him to a specialist? What could anyone do about it?
    He can walk up stairs alternating feet without holding a railing, but on his developmental screening w/ the school district last month he didn't pass any of the gross motor questions, like walking on a line, balancing on one foot for 5 seconds, and broad jumping (he wasn't doing it then). Not sure how concerned to be. He can pedal a tricycle on his own but goes really slow and it seems hard for him. I just got the trike out after a long 6 month winter so maybe he still just needs to get the hang of it. Don't know. DD was riding a bike by this age.
    Anyone have any input?

  3. gramadar

    HI

    regular lurker - irregular poster

    My response may not help as my boy has autism.
    Anyway, he could stand very early as well (4 months like you say), he seems to have low tone at his hips and high tone in his lower limbs. i say seem as it is not really diagnosable - just a little off normal.For the hips we do a lots of work in kneeling position - playdough, painting....

    Anyway, we have been trying to get him to jump since 18 months. He has autism and motor plannning problems - so clearly not the same as your son.

    we do joint compressions (an ot can show you).
    You should get a little trampoline with a handle bar and make it fun, I am sure he will be jumping soon.

    My duaghter couldnt blink her eyes till 3 - i was paranoid so know how you feel - she just learnt one day with no help.

    gramadar

  4. milesrbinovski

    Thanks gramadar. How were you able to determine he has low tone in his hips? Did you see a specialist? DS is too old for PT through EI and he doesn't qualify for any services with the school district, since his overall score on the screening was too high even though he didn't do well on gross motor.

  5. petice

    This post got me realizing I never noticed anything about B's jumping. I just made her do it. I'd say she jumps around 4/5 inches horizontal and maybe an inch or two upwards.

    I don't know, I kind of think if he can ride a tricycle, walk up steps, etc he is just fine. FWIW, I have never heard of people's kids getting tested for this in the states. Kind of glad they don't...

  6. milesrbinovski

    This post got me realizing I never noticed anything about B's jumping. I just made her do it. I'd say she jumps around 4/5 inches horizontal and maybe an inch or two upwards. I don't know, I kind of think if he can ride a tricycle, walk up steps, etc he is just fine. FWIW, I have never heard of people's kids getting tested for this in the states. Kind of glad they don't...

    Thanks. How old is your DD.?That's about what DS does in terms of jumping, but then there is DD who is only a year older, leaping off furniture, hopping on one foot, etc. I know, I know, I shouldn't compare kids all the time. I just have no clue what is in the range of normal and the school district testing was not reassuring at all (he was borderline failing, probably mainly because of the gross motor).

  7. petice

    Thanks. How old is your DD.?That's about what DS does in terms of jumping, but then there is DD who is only a year older, leaping off furniture, hopping on one foot, etc. I know, I know, I shouldn't compare kids all the time. I just have no clue what is in the range of normal and the school district testing was not reassuring at all (he was borderline failing, probably mainly because of the gross motor).

    DD was 3 at the very end of December. So almost 3 years and 3 months. My pedi always checks for certain motor skills at her appointments, but all of the stuff you listed was not even asked about - and I am assuming it is because they feel kids definitely acquire the \"other\" skills at different rates. Personally, and this is just my opinion, if you never noticed anything before I kind of doubt it is an issue. You seem pretty tuned in and I think you would have been alarmed ahead of time if your child was delayed in terms of physical skills. I think riding a tricycle is very good at his age actually. Same thing with walking the steps (mine can do it, but prefers to do her own thing going up and down).

  8. milesrbinovski

    Thanks again. The person who evaluated him made completely contradictory comments. like in one breath she would say something like \"maybe you should take him to a neurologist\" and then 3 seconds later she would say something to the effect that I'm too paranoid. I did talk to special ed and they observed him a while and don't feel he needs anything special at this point, despite practically flunking the eval. I think he is probably one of the youngest kids they ever evaluated (it was the day after his 3rd birthday) so the person evaluating is probably used to seeing kids who are a bit older.

  9. petice

    Thanks again. The person who evaluated him made completely contradictory comments. like in one breath she would say something like \"maybe you should take him to a neurologist\" and then 3 seconds later she would say something to the effect that I'm too paranoid. I did talk to special ed and they observed him a while and don't feel he needs anything special at this point, despite practically flunking the eval. I think he is probably one of the youngest kids they ever evaluated (it was the day after his 3rd birthday) so the person evaluating is probably used to seeing kids who are a bit older.

    I think that's too young to do an eval like this - but that's just me.

  10. Pilatou

    DS struggles with the exact same things. He barely jumps, can't walk on a low lying balance beam, and cannot catch a ball. He can however, climb really well.

    I had him assessed by a PT through EI. He qualified for services and has been receiving PT 1X a month for a 2 months now. We just had his IEP meeting yesterday and PT will not be covered through the district since it doesn't interfere with his ability to get an education.

    I have gotten some ideas from his PT on things to work with. As far as why he is delayed in these areas, nobody has gave me a definitive reason. I think it is correlated with his speech delay but can't prove it.

  11. milesrbinovski

    I don't know if DS could walk on a balance beam. Probably not very far. He catches a ball only if I have him hold his arms out first. However, he does also climb really well--I'll find him standing on kitchen counter top rooting through cabinets.

    Do you know what they do in PT with him? Maybe I can implement the same things at home since I wouldn't be able to get PT unless health insurance would somehow cover it.

  12. Pilatou

    typing one handed please excuse ...

    later i will find ds eval report from the pt and email it to you so you can get am idea of what she was looking for.

  13. Pilatou

    Quote:
    Do you know what they do in PT with him? Maybe I can implement the same things at home since I wouldn't be able to get PT unless health insurance would somehow cover it.
    yes, i'll email you later after mil is gone, rushing to get house picked up before sje gets here.

  14. milesrbinovski

    I think that's too young to do an eval like this - but that's just me.

    You're probably right. They say they want to see them as young as possible so that if there's a problem they have time to deal with it before K, but DS wasn't particularly cooperative and outright refused to do some things, we were actually bribing him, and at the end he was lying on the floor saying \"I tired Mommy. Want to go home.\" I am supposed to take him back in 6 months or so to get rescreened. They scored him based on the 3-3.5 age range norm, though, so not the same way they'd score a child who was 9 months or 12 months older. There is a difference developmentally between a 36 month old and a 41 month old though which wasn't taken into account.

  15. Pilatou

    I'm just going to post my info here, that way anyone lurking with similar concerns can perhaps benefit too.

    I'm leaving out identifying info, but here is the important parts of the report:

    Quote:
    Chronological Age: 24m 13d

    Gross Motor Skills:
    A is currently functioning at a baseline gross motor skill level of 15-17 months according to the Peabody Gross Motor Assessment Scale. A has a scattering of motor skills into the 24-29 month level. Skills that A can do include:
    1. Walk independently with a nice arm swing and good balance reactions.
    2. Run independently.
    3. Kick a ball that is placed in front of him. He does this primarily with his right foot.
    4. Throws a ball with reasonable directionality.
    5. Walks upstairs quickly, alternating his feet while holding onto rail.
    6. Walks doen stairs, placing both feet on a stair while holding onto a railing.
    7. Attempts to jump with both feet leaving the floor.
    8. Is beginning to try and jump off a stable object one foot leading.
    9. A also enjoys playing in the playground at his school. He is able to walk over uneven surfaces without loosing his balance and he can climb up the slide ladder, reposition himself, and slide down the slide.

    Skills that are delayed for A include:
    1. Jumping with both feet leaving the ground.
    2. Jumping forward with both feet.
    3. Jumping off a stable object.
    4. Catching a ball. A did not seem to have the concept of putting his arms forward to catch a ball.
    5. Walking forward on a balance beam type object.

    Musculoskeletal Assessment:
    Leg Lengths: Equal
    Lower Extremity Joint Range of Motion: within normal limits
    Spine and back: straight and symmetrical
    Feet: A stands with pronation in both feet. This is a functional flat foot and not a true flat foot.

    Conclusion and Recommendations:
    A is a young boy who has some minor delays in his gross motor skills. A would benefit from attending the gross motor group program offered through XXXXX @ XXXX. This program emphasizes learning jumping skills with the use of a floor trampoline and helps kids develop their motor skills (hanging on horizontal bars, walking on wide balance beams, basic tumbling, etc.). The program also encourages kids to follow simple motor directions which is difficult for A right now. A would also benefit from playing a lot on playground equipment such as slides, swings, climbing equipment, walking along elevated borders, etc.

    Specific Gross Motor Goals:
    1. A will be able to jump with both feet leaving the ground.
    2. A will able to jump forward with both feet leaving the ground.
    3. A will be able to jump off of a low, stable object.
    4. A will be able to catch an 8 inch ball when it is thrown to him.
    5. A will be able to walk forward on a slightly raised balance beam placing one foot on the beam and one foot off the beam.
    6. A will be able to throw a tennis ball to a person with good directionality.

    XX, RPT

    It's been almost 11 months since this assessment took place. The only goals that A has mastered, is #1. And even then it's more of a gallup, with one foot jumping up while the other is still down and then vice versa. He can do #3,4 and 5 on occasion. Next month is his last month of PT services through EI. Then I'm on my own to help him. Having got some ideas on ways to do this has been a huge help for me. I'm so glad, I had him assessed and he was able to work with a PT 1:1 for a few months anyway. Better than nothing.

    I will say that a trampoline is a must. If you don't have access to a children's gym, I would consider buying a small trampoline with a bar at home. We use duck tape on the floor, to make a straight line for A to walk on. Also, as far as catching a ball goes, a amazon.com/Swirly-Gertie-Ball-Small-World/dp/B0006IRSCE/ref=pd_sim_t_5 ball helps tremendously. It's easier to catch then a regular ball, which I think helps with their confidence.

    If DS likes to climb, encourage him to jump off whatever object he is on. My DS tends to start crying because he wants me to help him, which I did for a long time. Now though, I try to encourage him to jump -- which usually requires me to hold his hands while he jumps. Encouraging jumping into the pool is another idea. Unfortunately DS has some sensory issues with the pool, so this isn't an option for us.

  16. milesrbinovski

    Thanks for posting this Hope. In my \"What to Expect\" book it lists milestones which I believe to be based off the Denver Developmental Assessment and it says 50 or 75 percent of kids will broad jump by 36 months. So that is completely different than this report which expects kids to do this at 24 months.
    I took DD in for the same evaluation when she was a couple months older than DS and she flew through it. I think her total score was a 23 or a 26 and DS was a 13. He was tired and uncooperative, it just worries me to see such a huge difference.
    One thing that he has started doing in the last couple days is actually jump down the steps. By this, I mean he hops with both feet from one step to the next without holding the railing, which is actually scary to see now that we have hard floors. We do have a mini trampoline and he jumps on it but it doesn't have a handle. I wonder if that is unsafe, or if there would be a way to add a handle.
    He also has been running and walking on the balls of his feet lately, which bothers me. I don't know what that means.

    He didn't do well on fine motor either, but I'm not as worried because he shows some good skills they didn't test, like using a computer mouse on his own and strapping himself in and out of his carseat and buttoning small shirt buttons. The evaluator was really picky, like failing him on the \"draw the cross\" question because his cross wasn't perfectly symmetrical, or telling him to build a 9 cube tower but DS had no clue that he had to line all the cubes up perfectly or they would tip. So his tower tips, and he fails. I'm trying to take it with a grain of salt.

    So even though A has not made much progress, you can't get him services through special ed for PT?

  17. Chrysafidis

    My boys (now 4.5) were preemies and had some gross motor delays when they were younger .... including being late to jump.

    Age 3 is not too young at all to evaluate gross motor. My boys were first evaluated at 1 yr old (when they started receiving physical therapy). They were 2.5 when the were evaluated to enter into CPSE (planning started early for their graduation from EI at age 3).

    Many of those skills have to do with low tone, especially with belly strength. When your child stands does he have a slight sway back & protruding tummy at all? Does he like to sit in a \"w\" position on his knees? Is it uncomfortable to sit on his butt with his legs crossed? Those were a few of the signs in my boys.

    They did several years of pt, and now at age 4 they are running, jumping, bike riding, gymnastic taking, karate learning active little boys.

    There were many exercises the pts did with them. Lots of tummy work .. some on an exercise ball, some bending to pick up its. They started jumping off of a bottom step. Jumping over a line one foot at a time. Jumping with feet together. Jumping using a trampoline.

    If they don't qualify for services, maybe just a few visits with a pt to learn some exercises that would help.

    We also saw a physiatrist ... a doctor who specializes in development and movement.

    Michelle in NY
    ds 7
    bb twins 4.5

  18. milesrbinovski

    I took the kids to a children's festival today run by the advisory council I'm on and they had a low balance beam on the floor that was only a couple inches wide and DS was able to take several steps on it but DD, my advanced motor girl (so I thought), kept falling off! I was standing there scratching my head thinking \"Whaaaa?\"

    Michelle-thanks. Yes I have noticed that his back sways and his belly protrudes a bit, but it's not a toddler tummy he's really thin around his waist. His legs are also still more bowed than I think they should be. and I don't understand what's up w/ the way he's walking up on the balls of his feet. The last time I took him to the pediatiric geneticist (9 mo. ago?) she remarked in her report that he has mild hypotonia in his lower body but didn't specify what she meant by that. When he sits it's usually with his legs straight out in front of him or he will cross his legs like kids are supposed to sit.

    I need to talk to his pediatrician but wondering if I push for a referral or evaluation, what I should ask for specifically.

  19. Chrysafidis

    Hypotonia is the technical term for low tone.

    The toe walking (balls of feet) you describe is also another classic symptom. I'm not a medical professional, but the way I understand that part is that the body tries to compensate for the low tone in some areas by using some of the other muscles in a way that has higher tone. Thus its more comfortable for the child to walk on the toes.

    Both of my boys had to wear orthotics in their shoes for awhile to correct the toe walking. One only had to for less than 6 months. The other was probably about a year and a half. It made SUCH a difference. It got them to walk correctly and then move on to their other skills quickly.

    It sounded a bit scary at first but really wasn't anything. At first the orthotics were high on the ankle, but we folded down their socks over them so no one would know they were there. Then each time we got new ones as their feet grew they were shorter & shorter until it was just a small insert in their sneaker. They actually preferred to wear them as they gave their ankles strength.

    I would ask for a referral to a physiatrist, but they are hard to find.

    good luck -
    Michelle in NY

  20. Carlos

    Rachel,
    you little boy sounds similar to my ds in so many ways. He was slow with gross motor skills and slightly weak mid body tone. My ds commando crawled at 12months/traditional at 13months and walked independently at 20months. He could furniture walk at 12 months though if placed standing up.
    He is trying to jump now at 27months but doesn't get airborne, walks up and down steps well and can kick a ball. Sometimes when he perceives a step outside to be too high he will still get down it like a crab.

    Interestingly, my ds was also a slow talker, hampered by blocked ear tubes which cleared with antibotics, at 2 he could say a fair few word, but only now just combining two words together. Still lots of babble as well.

    He also has a big sister who was and is very chatty...speaking in sentences at 18months old. He is much quieter and laid back.

    Still I wonder if the slight hypotonia has made him slower to talk and have some mild delays gross motor wise?
    Tez

  21. milesrbinovski

    Tez, I definitely think it's a motor maturity issue, for talking at least since he had such a problem repeating phrases and saying words without dropping endings, etc. He didn't combine words that often til he was almost 2.5 and now he just turned 3 and is making so much progress, he puts 7-8 word sentences together on a daily basis, and probably averages 4 or 5 words. Hard to know how much had to do with his hearing (he had consistent fluid til he got tubes at around 29 mo.) and how much was a brain maturity issue. And who knows how much role the older chatty sister plays. DS was an early walker though. It just seems like he has made almost zero progress with jumping in the last year, although I don't think a year ago he would have been able to hop down a flight of steps like he does now. I know that apraxia of speech is linked to hypotonia, maybe it's a spectrum, or some kids appear apraxic and then outgrow it.

    Michelle, thanks. I will ask about a referral and ask about orthotics. The strange thing is I never noticed DS walking the way he does until the last couple months.

  22. Carlos

    Yes, I wonder if my ds has some slight apraxia due to the hypotonia. He has trouble with lots of words \"dottle\" instead of \"bottle\" and \"ilk\" instead of \"milk\" Very good receptive language skills and memory recognition though. Very social and happy as well. I think he is quiet bright and inquisitive.

    I do really think it is a slight motor planning issue. He will say mum or dad over and over very clearly and in context...but then have trouble with the follow on ie \"drink\" or \"want drink\" Glad we have graduated to more frequent two word phrase from ds over the last 3 weeks or so and I am seeing constant if slightly slow improvement in both range of vocab, two word phrases and clarity. so I think he will be like your ds Rachel and get there on his own schedule.
    I can see him heading the same way with his gross motor development. Own his own timetable.
    Tez

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