Re: moon shoes and sensory integration therapy

[Guest guest]

LUGZ makes shoes and sneakers that are HEAVY...sturdy, and HEAVY. A friend had

a toe walker, and they worked very well for her son. The bottoms of the soles

are thick and not very " bendable " so it's difficult for the child to bend his

foot to make toe walking easy.

They're available in most stores....The website is a

little.....uh..... " difficult to navigate " and it seems there are mostly the

adult shoes listed there. I didn't bother to log in to check out the entire

site...but of course you can go to www.lugz.com (keep your sounds OFF.)

Jordan wasn't a toe walker, but my SIL bought him a pair when he was just

learning to walk. They were very sturdy heavy shoes.....couldn't imagine how

he could walk in them, they probably weighed near half pound each. But for

your purpose, they'd be just perfect. Stylish, too.

~K

[ ] moon shoes and sensory integration therapy

I don't recall who mentioned these, but the ones I found leave the feeling

of being almost weightless. Are these the ones you were referring to? I need

something for my almost 3yo to wear that are HEAVY to try to correct his

toe-walking.

Anyone have any ideas?

Homeschooling? Visit our home on the web!

http://www.breathingroom.faithweb.com

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

When my daughter started to walk she also toe walked, i brought this up with

many " professionals " only to be told it was nothing to worry about! Anyway

thats another story and a valuable learning curve for myself. So basically

after watching her and trying to work it out for myself how to put this

right i found the best way to treat it was to take her for short walks a few

times a day and correct her when she started to walk on her toes, i would

say " copy how mummy walks " , which she would do for maybe a minute at a time

and then she would revert back to the toe walking again. We did this daily

and made a joke out of it, and slowly it began to work, not without a few

grazed knees i might add. After about 4-6 months she walked perfectly.

I would just like to add that before we did this i also bought her " heavy "

type shoes and even had her checked and fitted for flat feet, and in our

case both of these did not really help. Just another idea, maybe of some

help. Jane

[ ] moon shoes and sensory integration therapy

> I don't recall who mentioned these, but the ones I found leave the feeling

> of being almost weightless. Are these the ones you were referring to? I

need

> something for my almost 3yo to wear that are HEAVY to try to correct his

> toe-walking.

>

> Anyone have any ideas?

>

>

> Homeschooling? Visit our home on the web!

> http://www.breathingroom.faithweb.com

[Guest guest]

What does the doctor say about the toe walking? Toe walking is a

sign of cerebral palsy, and it seems like a professional would help

with toe walking.

> I don't recall who mentioned these, but the ones I found leave the

feeling

> of being almost weightless. Are these the ones you were referring

to? I need

> something for my almost 3yo to wear that are HEAVY to try to

correct his

> toe-walking.

>

> Anyone have any ideas?

>

>

> Homeschooling? Visit our home on the web!

> http://www.breathingroom.faithweb.com

>

> https://www.paypal.com/xclick/business=teachingathome%

40lycos.com & item_name=

>

Breathing+Room+Subscription & item_number=BRSUB & no_note=1 & tax=0 & currenc

y_code=

> USD

[Guest guest]

Not completely true--

I was a toe walker, and I definitely have never had CP. My son also

has been known to walk on his toes, and he doesn't have CP either.

However, Drew does have DSI, and I was told by his OT as well as his

Sped teacher (she actually mentioned it first) that often kids with

DSI who need the additional sensory stimulation will do that as there

is a sensation that happens in your calf muscles that gives the kids

some of that stimulation they crave...when looking back, I am pretty

sure that I am/was a DSI kid myself, (no learning disabilities), so I

can relate to that. Let's face it-- they didn't diagnose DSI 30+

years ago.

Check with an OT first. My mother's solution at the time? She sent

me to Ballet class so I could always be on my toes!! ;-) (It's true!)

And don't worry, with enough practice and time, I learned to walk

flat-footed without any OT help, and as a woman, I was better

balanced on high heels than many of the other girls around me.

le (mom to Drew, 2 1/2, apraxia and SI)

PS: I was just talking online with a friend of mine whose father has

CP, and she told me, " ...there's usually signs of CP before you get

to walking, like infant reflexes that don't go away when they are

supposed to--the startle one, in particular. The walking on toes

thing is just one form of CP, as well: ataxic. It's the drunk walk.

there's three kinds of CP, but they all have that reflex thing in

common. 'My Left Foot'(referring to the movie) is spastic.

Ataxic is the balance...the drunky walk one. Athetoids flail a lot. "

That's how she explained it to me--verbatim.

> What does the doctor say about the toe walking? Toe walking is a

> sign of cerebral palsy, and it seems like a professional would help

> with toe walking.

[Guest guest]

Well, then, on the other hand, if mommy were wearing four-inch heels,

LOL....I guess we all need to keep a sense of humor about this. I know

it is scary when the kids show some symptom that might indicate serious

problems but if the serious problem we are worrying about isn't really

there, the symptom probably isn't going to hurt anything. I know we

get to the same point sometimes when Benny flaps his hand...but he has

something " icky " stuck on his finger...he's not flapping his hand

because he's autistic.

Peace,

Kathy E.

On Dec 8, 2003, at 6:32 PM, jane wrote:

> So basically

> after watching her and trying to work it out for myself how to put this

> right i found the best way to treat it was to take her for short walks

> a few

> times a day and correct her when she started to walk on her toes, i

> would

> say " copy how mummy walks " , which she would do for maybe a minute at a

> time

> and then she would revert back to the toe walking again.

[Guest guest]

I just thought of another thing to perhaps try. You know those ankle weights

used for exercising? I know I used them and I know after you take them off,

you feel weight less on your feet. The come in diferent weights, like 1lb,

2lbs. fit under pants, so can be worn without being seen. May help.

[Guest guest]

From what I understand, it is not " normal " for even a 2 yr old to toe walk...I

was told this by the head of orthopedic surgery at s Hopkins who saw my son

at 2.3 yrs of age. I would at least get it checked out by a ped ortho...my son

wears an ankle-foot orthotic now and will definately have to have surgery in a

few years to lengthen his heel cord. IF it is a problem, the earlier it is

helped the better...just like speech impairments. And yes, " heavy " shoes do

work, we have heavy snow boots that we let my son wear all day if he wants

inside; we call them " Bob the Builder " boots and so he loves to wear them while

he is playing w/his tools.

erin landavere

phil4:13

Re: [ ] moon shoes and sensory integration

therapy

Hi ,

When my daughter started to walk she also toe walked, i brought this up with

many " professionals " only to be told it was nothing to worry about! Anyway

thats another story and a valuable learning curve for myself. So basically

after watching her and trying to work it out for myself how to put this

right i found the best way to treat it was to take her for short walks a few

times a day and correct her when she started to walk on her toes, i would

say " copy how mummy walks " , which she would do for maybe a minute at a time

and then she would revert back to the toe walking again. We did this daily

and made a joke out of it, and slowly it began to work, not without a few

grazed knees i might add. After about 4-6 months she walked perfectly.

I would just like to add that before we did this i also bought her " heavy "

type shoes and even had her checked and fitted for flat feet, and in our

case both of these did not really help. Just another idea, maybe of some

help. Jane

[ ] moon shoes and sensory integration therapy

> I don't recall who mentioned these, but the ones I found leave the feeling

> of being almost weightless. Are these the ones you were referring to? I

need

> something for my almost 3yo to wear that are HEAVY to try to correct his

> toe-walking.

>

> Anyone have any ideas?

>

>

> Homeschooling? Visit our home on the web!

> http://www.breathingroom.faithweb.com

[Guest guest]

There are lots of symptoms of CP, with toe walking being one of

them. My daughter has CP, but she never toe walked.

However, it is something that a doctor/neurologist should look at.

If someone is having speech problems and toe walking, then a doctor

needs to evaluate the situation.

Most people think of people with CP as severely handicapped, but

there is a wide range of disabilities with CP. 's first

neurologist never caught that she had problems in her feet. She is

hypertonic (tight muscles) in her toes. She is weak on her left

side of her body. Then she has all the coordination problems

including apraxia.

Toe walking doesn't mean you have CP, but it is something that a

doctor needs to look at.

> > What does the doctor say about the toe walking? Toe walking is

a

> > sign of cerebral palsy, and it seems like a professional would

help

> > with toe walking.

[Guest guest]

I'm the one that brought up Moon Shoes because I was looking for

them as a fun Holiday present for Dakota and Tanner (neither of whom

have CP) and...I read about them at MSN on a list they had for top

Holiday presents for children which I now can't seem to find. I

then said - " does anyone know if these are good for OT skills as well? "

because I read

" Moon shoes are the original mini trampolines made for feet so kids

can jump with anti-gravity effects. Plus, they help to develop

balance and coordination. The wacky Moon Shoes are made of quality,

high-density plastic, adjustable nylon straps with sure-footing and

non-skid treads. They fit up to size 9 men's shoes and hold a

maximum total weight of 180 pounds. "

http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=200758655 & mp=84 & loc=20269

But since they now say out of stock (probably due to the MSN

article!) I also found more here

http://www.superdairyboy.com/Toys/Moon_Shoes.html and

http://www.surprise.com/kids/scientist/moon_shoes.cfm I'm sure

there are other places too. So now that I know they 'are' good for OT

reasons -does anyone know if there is a difference between the

various styles and brands of moon shoes? Like..any difference between the

15 dollar vs. the 40 dollar ones?

=====

[Guest guest]

My Faith has CP and people find it hard to believe. They think CP and think

of someone with the tight, spastic muscles who can barely talk and walk, if

at all. Faith walks with a limp, she toe walks, she's weak in her left

side, and needed intense physical therapy to help strengthen her muscles so

she could even sit up on her own. She has a cognative delay as well, but

she talks up a storm and even with her cognative delay is coming up with

words and phrases that you wouldnt think she could.

Her doctors aren't sure if her toe walking is from her CP or because the

bones in her left leg from the knee down are growing twisted. Her entire

leg turns on her when she walks and she has to correct it before she puts

her foot down or she falls. She does well correcting it until she gets

tired. The orthopedist says there isn't anything they can do for it until

she stops growing. No braces, special shoes or anything for her. But he

did say the bones twisting happens to a lot of kids and it simply corrects

itself as they grow. If not, then once she stops growing they can do

surgery.

Toni

[ ] Re: moon shoes and sensory integration

therapy

There are lots of symptoms of CP, with toe walking being one of

them. My daughter has CP, but she never toe walked.

However, it is something that a doctor/neurologist should look at.

If someone is having speech problems and toe walking, then a doctor

needs to evaluate the situation.

Most people think of people with CP as severely handicapped, but

there is a wide range of disabilities with CP. 's first

neurologist never caught that she had problems in her feet. She is

hypertonic (tight muscles) in her toes. She is weak on her left

side of her body. Then she has all the coordination problems

including apraxia.

Toe walking doesn't mean you have CP, but it is something that a

doctor needs to look at.

[Guest guest]

I then said - " does anyone know if these are good for OT skills as

well? "

Hi ,

My son has been using moon shoes with his ot for the last couple of

weeks. He loves them. It was so funny to watch him the very first

time he tried them on. I don't think he knew his legs could move so

freely as when he had them on, he looked like he was trying to

impersonate Elvis Presley. His legs were just going a mile a

minute. His therapist has him do differnt things when he is wearing

them, but what was this I read about better handwriting? If you

could fill me in on that I would appreciate it. By the way before

he did the moon shoes he couldn't understand how to jump, well now

he can jump, not the best jumping but he understands how to do it

now! It also helps with balance. If anyone knows what other

benefits there are to moonshoes I would love to hear about it.

So now that I know they 'are' good for OT

> reasons -does anyone know if there is a difference between the

> various styles and brands of moon shoes? Like..any difference

between the

> 15 dollar vs. the 40 dollar ones?

I would think the only difference would be how well they are made

between prices. They are basically just plastic with trampoline

material on the inside, the ones I've seen had laces on them. My

son's ot put velcro straps on hers so they could be worn by differnt

children.

Alison