title: Persistent toe walking in autism.
abstract: The records of 954 ambulatory children presenting for initial evaluation to a university developmental pediatrician were reviewed for the prevalence of persistent toe walking and associated tight heel cords. The incidence of persistent toe walking (20.1%) and tight heel cords (12.0%) were found to be higher in 324 children with an autistic spectrum disorder but lower (10.0%/3.0%) in 30 children with Asperger syndrome. These results confirm the previously reported high incidence of toe walking in children with autism and with language disorders and also raise the possibility of a secondary orthopedic deformity that can complicate long-term management of these patients.
authors.affiliation: Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia 32320, USA.
authors.forename: William J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Barrow
authors.forename: Margie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jaworski
authors.forename: Pasquale J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Accardo
mesh_terms: D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000150:complications*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009069:Movement Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D014034:Toes; D016138:Walking / Q000502:physiology*