Walking/Crawling +

[MatureMomG]

At what age did your little ones with DS crawl, walk, and begin to talk. One of our therepists tested my dd (12 months this week) and said she is quite behind (for a DS child). BUT.. when I looked at the chart she was using they had the following things in the 8-14 months category:

walking alone, crawling, cruising, climbs stairs, says 2-20 words, moves from standing to sit and sit to standing (while holding on to something), scribbles with large crayon

These are for 8-14 months!

I think these standards may apply more to "normal" children rather than DS standards (although the chart said development guidelines for ds children). I mean, how many "normal" kids walk at 8 months and say 10 words and crawl stairs? None of mine ever did!

My dd sits well, rotates while she sits, rolls repeatedly to get somewhere (like to Mom), smiles, manipulates objects, etc. I know she will be where she is when she is, but I must admit I was a bit deflated when they put her at 7 months.

Thanks for your input.
Yours in Christ,
Kathy

[snickers71801]

I am not sure what to tell you. Taby is at about a 2 year old level with everything, but her speech is at about a 12 month level. I am not sure why they are telling you that she is far behind. She did not walk alone until she was about 2 1/2 and her therapist was delighted when she finally did. Those things really seem tough for our little ones to be doing at that age and I dont understand how they came up with the whole outline anyhow. I think that I have seen the same outline and I was floored when I seen it. The therapist just explained to me that Taby would do things when she is ready to do them. As soon as she started walking on her own it was like she had been doing it forever. Dont let it get you discouraged. I know it did me at first, and then I got realizing that my daughter will do things at her own speed. She has played catch up since she was born and I dont think some outline is going to stand in her way. Let me know what outline that was. By chance was it on the wheel thing? I think that is the one that I am thinking of. Let me know anything that you find out.
Nikki

[rickismom]

Well, as an experienced mom I can tell you that this chart is the normal for REGULAR children!

Ricki started walking at age two. First words came a bit earlier, but not by much.

[MatureMomG]

All I have is a copy from a page in a book called Your Baby's Development, and the chapter is Babies With Down Syndrome. This is apparently a chart for development of chidren with ds.
Go figure.
Yours in Christ,
Kathy

[Robin]

Wow Kathy, I thought Chase did really well the first two years of his life, he had no delays bakc then YET.....but holy toledo girl, he didnt do any of that stuff! I think the list is wayyyyy off base!!! Your little angel sounds like she is doing just fine! Chase is always said to be way farther behind then he really is so dont you worry, you know how well she is doing, phooey on those people!
hugs, Robin

[DereksMom]

Derek started to bum scoot at 15 months, walk at 30 months and crawl just before he turned 4. Talk about backwards huh? His speech is coming along very well but he is still hard to understand at times. He i more delayed than some kids his age but he has also had 4 open heart surgeries and Leukemia which im sure didnt help matters.

Hugs

Allison

[meghans_mom]

there's no way that list is for kids w/ DS - and if it is, it needs to be rewritten.
For typical kids - scribbling comes between 12 - 14 months and at 12-15 months 2-20 words.
My (typical) son said 10 words at 12 months and his pediatrician said that was very "advanced".
My daughter - Meghan (DS) - pulled to standing at her 1st b-day party and walked at 20 months...I forget when she began to crawl but I'd say 8-10 months? but I'd have to look in the book to see.
The average for our kids is to score at approximately one-half their actual age.
There will, of course, be strenghts and weaknesses in certain areas for each child -- but actually 7 months for your daughter is about right. (according to what the averages are for kids w/ DS in general)
But it is devastating to see that in print -- even though I tell myself it won't bother me this time, I read those reports over and over, each time we get them.
You know your daughter and what her strenghts are...focus on those and help her in her weaker areas...
she will get there -- but don't focus on the numbers -- I say this, even though I know how difficult it can be not to.
many hugs - laurie

[PaigesMom]

I think that Paiges gross motor skills are one of her STRENGTHS -

She rolled back to front/front to back by 3 months, sat unassisted 6 months, crawled backwards 8 months, crawled forwards 12 months (that was probably the biggest delay), walked unassisted 14 months.

As for speech, that didn't really start coming until recently - she's four - but she signed about 10 BASIC (more, drink, eat, play, me, want, cookie) words at about age one and mostly pointed.

OT is her absolute worst, at least for now.

Debbie

[Jamie]

See Pat Winders book, "Gross Motors Skills for Children with Down Syndrome." In the back there is a chart of when children with Ds should be achieving various milestones, and there are variances to the ages they give too.

I was thinking recently how right now, while Grace is so young, I'm worried about the obvious - when will she walk, talk, etc. But she WILL do all these things. What is probably of more importance is, once she's older, will she "Get Life." We have therapies for our little ones and can watch them develop. But I'm afraid that once she's a teenager we'll see her cognitive limitations and there won't be much we can do about it.

Don't mean to depress anyone! The good point is that we should enjoy our babies because eventually - in their time - they will develop! And hopefully they will exceed our expectations once they are teens and adults.

[kimclmnt]

We had tubes put in Elisabeths ears a few days before her first birthday and that night she started crawling, and then she started walking at 15 months. As far as speech she is behind. I understand her but she won't put many 2 words together and our speech path can't understand alot of what she says. I think every kid is different, I don't think it is DS. I used to get discouraged about Elisabeths progress but now I just say every kid is different.

[Betty & Ian's Mom]

I agree with the above post, "that every child is different" & "not just the ds part", Betty is very high functioning, but does lack in some areas of development. She has speech delayments and walking is delayed as well, some fine motor skills to. But as we all work with her, she accomplishes skills taught to her. She picks up rather quickly. I was a little upset when Betty had her Gobal eval done 2 months ago. Betty was 18 months and though she did every thing the DT wanted her to do she felt she was at a 12 month age. I asked why such a huge gap, and she explained that the older they get the wider the gap. Betty started crawling when she was 15 months old, but cruises everything with no problem at all. Walking will take a little bit since most of the time she refuses to walk with assistance (stubborn) she has the strength though.

[Chris]

Sarah started sitting at 11 months, crawling (on hands and knees) at 17 months, pulling up at 20 months, standing in the middle of the room at 23 months, started taking steps at 25 months, walking at 30 months. She had tubes put in her ears about six weeks ago and she is saying and signing more words everyday. I can't believe how much progress she has made in the past six weeks!

I think it sounds like your daughter is doing great.

Chris

[shellk]

I have to agree with the popular vote here..All kids even "normal" ones progress at there own pace. Kourtney is 5 and she crawled at 7 months and sat alone at 6 and half months she cruised at 12 months and walked at 16 months, she currently will tell you numerous thing although half of them are not understandable..She tries so hard though. My " normal 10 month old son has been waling for 3 weeks now he started pulling to stand at 6 months and cruising at 7 he walked all alone and unassisted at 9 and half months...My oldest daughter didn't even do this..He currently has a vocab of at least 10 words he says.."Hi,hello, bye, mom, dad, ba-ba, what this, what dat, look,boat, ball. My "normal" 12 year old didn't even have a vocab like this when she was 10 and a half months old. He is amazing me everyday...Althoug I have to give credit where credit is due.....He has learned A LOT from Kourtney she talks to him allot and she is the one who encouraged him to crawl and chase after her..Strange she is behind but has helped her little brother to be advanced....Gosh I love that gal of mine.
Don't let those people get ya down our kids do there own thing just like all other kids.

Hugs to ya
Michele

[momofrussell]

I can't add much more than these wonderful mom's already have. Russell is now 6 and walked at 3. Not quite well until he was almost 4. But Russell is visually impaired and legally blind at the time... so I attribute it to that.

Some kids, DS or not, have stregths and weaknesses. Those books are guidelines, just like typical pediatric books, but that doesn't mean they SHOULD or else type thing...

A.

[Claire]

Adam now 6 did not support his head until he was 16mths, did not crawl until he was 23 mths (although he could roll around corners in the house faster then his sister could run them) he crawled at 29 mths and walked without his walker at 4 1/2. All our children do things at different times just like any other kid. At their own pace and when they decide to do them. Adam's cognitive age is about at a 3 year old although his receptive skills are at around 3 1/2-4 year old. So having an late start doesn't always mean they don't pick up.