Feet Again

You might think it a bit weird me talking about feet again, but there is a definite purpose to it.  Now I know you have read about me allowing Johnathan to choose his first pair of shoes because I knew that if he didn’t we would have a struggle getting them on.  I remember times I have spent chasing Johnathan’s feet over the change mat because he hated having socks put on.

Although Johnathan didn’t learn to crawl, but went straight to walking, he really struggled with putting his feet on the ground so he HAD to have the shoes.  I know at the time it was a pretty common thing to get children to walk with nothing on their feet.  Yeah, no.  Try that with Johnathan and he would NOT touch his feet to the ground!  He would contort himself into bizarre positions and not allow his bare feet on the floor.  I didn’t mind, to be honest with you.

Did I tell you about his experience with the nurse who was meant to teach me how to give him a massage starting with BARE feet?!  Well, he wasn’t having THAT so pretended to go to seep the moment he saw her coming into the house or her voice at the door.  She tried different times 3 times and said she wasn’t going to come again because he was always asleep and the moment she left the house, he would start playing again.

Anyway, even when the school had a sport thing and they wanted children to be bare feet.  Johnathan was freaking out about it and I had to take him back into the school and ask if he could wear his shoes.  Otherwise he would not be able to participate in the exercise.  Now he will go in the house with just socks on, but he doesn’t do that anywhere else unless he has to.

Although Johnathan never actually done this, I have heard other babies on the spectrum or have special needs of some kind, instead of contorting themselves to not have their feet on the floor – they walk and balance on their toes.  Nothing the parent or nursery or school can do to make them walk on their feet.  They don’t like it because not only does it feel unnatural to them, physically it causes problems with their development.  It’s not something the parent has done, it is a sensory and balance issue which turns into a physical medical issue as they continue to do it.  The earlier you can see someone about it, the better it is.  But please, if your child is like this, don’t feel as if you have done something wrong.  You haven’t.  

So as you can see, children on the spectrum or who have special needs, can have great difficulties with their feet.  Whatever you do, however you solve the problem for your child, just remember that you are doing the best you know and don’t worry.