Hi, my daughter is 13, autistic, has ADHD and is a toe walker. Because she has been toe walking for years, and we didn't intervene (I know, I didn't know, and I should have known), she has lost almost all of her mobility in her Achilles and calves. She cannot flex her foot at all almost. She finally has started getting private PT and I put in for a PT eval through school. In the eval, they acknowledged the issue, but said since it does not impact my daughter educationally that she was not eligible for PT services, even on consult. Basically, she navigates fine so there's no need for school to intervene. I do understand this. That being said, I am concerned. Our medical PT plan is to work intensively on the toe walking, with a foot plate, exercise and redirection. If that doesn't work, she will need to be casted two weeks on, two weeks off for months in order to force the return of the flexibility, which is apparently painful and will dramatically impact her mobility during the process. Her PT has expressed concern that without school support, she will be able to continue to toe walk as she pleases for the hours she is at school, which is a considerable part of her day. Is this something to fight for? Has anyone had success with accessing school PT in a similar situation? I do understand the school's stance, but I also would like to see support for the toe walking now, before we have to cast her feet. Any advice would be amazing. Thank you!
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autiemom
Hi, my daughter is 13, autistic, has ADHD and is a toe walker. Because she has been toe walking for years, and we didn't intervene (I know, I didn't know, and I should have known), she has lost almost all of her mobility in her Achilles and calves. She cannot flex her foot at all almost. She finally has started getting private PT and I put in for a PT eval through school. In the eval, they acknowledged the issue, but said since it does not impact my daughter educationally that she was not eligible for PT services, even on consult. Basically, she navigates fine so there's no need for school to intervene. I do understand this. That being said, I am concerned. Our medical PT plan is to work intensively on the toe walking, with a foot plate, exercise and redirection. If that doesn't work, she will need to be casted two weeks on, two weeks off for months in order to force the return of the flexibility, which is apparently painful and will dramatically impact her mobility during the process. Her PT has expressed concern that without school support, she will be able to continue to toe walk as she pleases for the hours she is at school, which is a considerable part of her day. Is this something to fight for? Has anyone had success with accessing school PT in a similar situation? I do understand the school's stance, but I also would like to see support for the toe walking now, before we have to cast her feet. Any advice would be amazing. Thank you!
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