Re: What is the significance of W questions in speech development?

[Guest guest]

Any Physical Therapist will tell you that " W " sitting is one of the

signs of - I dont want to say LD- but usually a signal that some kind

of services are needed. My daughter does it but my two typical sons

never did. Once you know its a sign of " something " you start to notice

the kids in Mcs and wonder- is that kid getting services??

[Guest guest]

I meant the significance of when a child answers W questions correctly

like Where are your shoes? Who is that? etc.

>

> Any Physical Therapist will tell you that " W " sitting is one of the

> signs of - I dont want to say LD- but usually a signal that some kind

> of services are needed. My daughter does it but my two typical sons

> never did. Once you know its a sign of " something " you start to notice

> the kids in Mcs and wonder- is that kid getting services??

>

[Guest guest]

W sitting provides a more stable base of support for kids. In this

position,

there can be a tendency for the growth of the bones to become " twisted " or

rotated.....which will require medical intervention. I believe it takes

pretty

constant sitting over time for it to become serious. Anyways, I always

discourage

any child I see sitting like this and bring awareness to the situation.

Jess in CO

On Dec 18, 2007 4:07 PM, Maureen <mosense@...> wrote:

> Any Physical Therapist will tell you that " W " sitting is one of the

> signs of - I dont want to say LD- but usually a signal that some kind

> of services are needed. My daughter does it but my two typical sons

> never did. Once you know its a sign of " something " you start to notice

> the kids in Mcs and wonder- is that kid getting services??

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Have I missed a post? What is W sitting, may I ask?

I have never heard of this....unless W stands for something else...

Thanks for explaining!

>

> Any Physical Therapist will tell you that " W " sitting is one of the

> signs of - I dont want to say LD- but usually a signal that some kind

> of services are needed. My daughter does it but my two typical sons

> never did. Once you know its a sign of " something " you start to notice

> the kids in Mcs and wonder- is that kid getting services??

>

[Guest guest]

OK, I found thid article about why it is bad....but still not sure

what it is....

thanks!

Parents Corner

Pediatric therapists are often confronted with similar concerns in

many of the children they treat. One area frequently addressed is W-

sitting. The following was written for parents and teachers to help

answer common questions about this issue.

What's wrong with W-sitting?

By McNamara, PT

ADVANCE for Physical Therapists, 1995

The W-positions is one of many sitting positions that most children

move into and out of while playing, but it's a four-letter word to

some parents. Why is it presumed to be ok for some children and

forbidden for others?

When playing in these other sitting postures, children develop the

trunk control and rotation necessary for midline crossing (reaching

across the body) and separation of the two sides of the body. These

skills are needed for a child to develop refined motor skills and

hand dominance.

W-sitting is not recommended for anyone. Many typically developing

children do move through this position during play, but all parents

should be aware that the excessive use of this position during the

growing years can lead to future orthopedic problems.

Why do children W-sit? Every child needs to play and children who are

challenged motorically like to play as much as anybody. They don't

want to worry about keeping their balance when they're concentrating

on a toy. Children who are frequent W-sitters often rely on this

position for added trunk and hip stability to allow easier toy

manipulation and play.

When in the W-position, a child is planted in place or " fixed "

through the trunk. This allows for play with toys in front, but does

not permit trunk rotation and lateral weight shifts (twisting and

turning to reach toys on either side). Trunk rotation and weight

shifts over one side allow a child to maintain balance while running

outside or playing on the playground and are necessary for crossing

the midline while writing and doing table top activities.

It's easy to see why this position appeals to so many children, but

continued reliance on W-sitting can prevent a child from developing

more mature movement patterns necessary for higher-level skills.

Who should not w-sit? For many children, W-sitting should always be

discouraged. This position is contraindicated (and could be

detrimental) for a child if one of the following exists:

There are orthopedic concerns. W-sitting can predispose a child to

hip dislocation, so if there is a history of hip dysplasia, or a

concern has been raised in the past, this position should be avoided.

If there is muscle tightness, W-sitting will aggravate it. This

position places the hamstrings, hip adductors, internal rotators and

heel cords in an extremely shortened range. If a child is prone to

tightness or contractures, encourage anther pattern of sitting.

There are neurologic concerns/developmental delays. If a child has

increased muscle tone (hypertonia, spasticity), W-sitting will feed

into the abnormal patterns of movement trying to be avoided (by

direction of the child's therapist). Using other sitting postures

will aid in the development of more desirable movement patterns.

W-sitting can also discourage a child from developing a hand

preference. Because no trunk rotation can take place when W-sitting,

a child is less inclined to reach across the body and instead picks

up objects on the right with the right hand, and those placed to the

left with the left hand.

Try sitting in various positions. Notice how you got there, got out,

and what it took to balance. Many of the movement components you are

trying to encourage in a child are used when getting in and out of

sitting. Transfers in and out of the Q-position, however, are

accomplished through straight-plane (directly forward and backward)

movement only. No trunk rotation, weight shifting, or righting

reactions are necessary to assume or maintain W-sitting.

How to prevent W-sitting. The most effective (and easiest) way to

prevent a problem with W-sitting is to prevent it from becoming a

habit it the first place. Anticipate and catch it before the child

even learns to W-sit. Children should be placed and taught to assume

alternative sitting positions. If a child discovers W-sitting anyway,

help him to move to another sitting position, or say, " Fix your

legs. " It's very important to be as consistent as possible.

When playing with a child on the floor, hold his knees and feet

together when kneeling or creeping on hands and knees. It will be

impossible to get into a W-position from there. The child will either

sit to one side, or sit back on his feet; he can then be helped to

sit over to one side from there (try to encourage sitting over both

the right and left sides). These patterns demand a certain amount of

trunk rotation and lateral weight shift and should fit with a child's

therapy goals.

If a child is unable to sit alone in any position other than a W,

talk with a therapist about supportive seating or alternative

positions such as prone and sidelying. Tailor sitting against the

couch may be one alternative; a small table and chair is another.

The therapist(s) working with the child will have many other ideas.

Caregivers should ask if W-sitting in now, or may in the future, be a

problem.

About the author: McNamara is with Helping Hands School in

Clifton Park, NY. The article was written in conjunction with the

OP/PT staff there.

Unable to find what you're looking for? Search the entire site to

find information about any subject we have information on.

Instructions:

Type a word or words into the form below and press the Search button.

You may use " quotation marks " to search for a phrase. Adding a plus

sign (+) before a word or phrase will require its presence; adding a

minus sign (-) before a word or phrase will require its absence.

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12306 Los Osos Valley Road

San Obispo, California 93405

Telephone: 805-772-6014 • Fax: 805-772-8246

E-mail: info@...

Click here to ask a question.

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>

> Any Physical Therapist will tell you that " W " sitting is one of the

> signs of - I dont want to say LD- but usually a signal that some

kind

> of services are needed. My daughter does it but my two typical sons

> never did. Once you know its a sign of " something " you start to

notice

> the kids in Mcs and wonder- is that kid getting services??

>

[Guest guest]

>W sitting is a sign of joint laxity and low tone. Thats all. Most of

our apraxic kids have low tone. Many other conditions are associated

with low tone as well. Near impossible to sit like that if you have

normal tone...it hurts your knees. -

> Any Physical Therapist will tell you that " W " sitting is one of the

> signs of - I dont want to say LD- but usually a signal that some kind

> of services are needed. My daughter does it but my two typical sons

> never did. Once you know its a sign of " something " you start to notice

> the kids in Mcs and wonder- is that kid getting services??

>

[Guest guest]

Hi -

I am a speech-language therapist who specializes in apraxia in the

birth - 5 population. Thanks for letting me lurk in this group - I

have learned so much about the biomed approach!

The importance of wh questions is bifold:

1) Processing wh questions

2) Answering wh questions

" Typical " children develop the ability to process (understand) and

answer wh questions quite young (12 - 24mo) and without much " direct "

teaching or practice. These skills are important for carrying on

*MOST* conversations. If you can't adequately understand or answer

questions how will a functional conversation take place?

Children with autism who have difficulty with joint attention/social

relationships can often answer " route " wh- questions (Whats this?,

Who's this?, etc) or can be " taught " how to answer more complex ones

but have difficulty with " conversational " wh- questions (What did you

have for lunch? Was it good? Where did daddy go today? Will he be

home for dinner, etc.).

Children with apraxia may APPEAR to have difficulty with wh questions

when the difficulty truly lies within poor motor planning. This

means they know what your asking and how to answer but can't motor

plan the verbal response adequately. Often, if a child with apraxia

is given a nonverbal way to respond they are successful.

>

> I meant the significance of when a child answers W questions

correctly

> like Where are your shoes? Who is that? etc.

>

[Guest guest]

This is so helpful! Last year our DI was mentioning the importance of

W questions to the coordinator in reference to another kid. No one

ever discussed this directly regarding my son but it has recently

occurred to me that he now " gets " these questions in a way I am not

so sure he did before. Hard to know why. Was I not asking? Probably

part of it but part was likely a processing thing since he currently

seems to have gut and AP stuff at this point but there were much

bigger concerns and not just mine back in the day. Thank you ,

for helping me with this and for helping our kids every day!

> >

> > I meant the significance of when a child answers W questions

> correctly

> > like Where are your shoes? Who is that? etc.

> >

>

[Guest guest]

W sitting is when the child sits on their bottom and the knees are bent in

front and the feet are on the side next to the bottom....does this make

sense?

Another way to explain...try kneeling, now sit on your bottom between your

feet!

Jess in CO

On Dec 18, 2007 8:44 PM, qboomom <qboomom@...> wrote:

> OK, I found thid article about why it is bad....but still not sure

> what it is....

> thanks!

>

> Parents Corner

> Pediatric therapists are often confronted with similar concerns in

> many of the children they treat. One area frequently addressed is W-

> sitting. The following was written for parents and teachers to help

> answer common questions about this issue.

>

> What's wrong with W-sitting?

> By McNamara, PT

> ADVANCE for Physical Therapists, 1995

>

> The W-positions is one of many sitting positions that most children

> move into and out of while playing, but it's a four-letter word to

> some parents. Why is it presumed to be ok for some children and

> forbidden for others?

>

> When playing in these other sitting postures, children develop the

> trunk control and rotation necessary for midline crossing (reaching

> across the body) and separation of the two sides of the body. These

> skills are needed for a child to develop refined motor skills and

> hand dominance.

>

> W-sitting is not recommended for anyone. Many typically developing

> children do move through this position during play, but all parents

> should be aware that the excessive use of this position during the

> growing years can lead to future orthopedic problems.

>

> Why do children W-sit? Every child needs to play and children who are

> challenged motorically like to play as much as anybody. They don't

> want to worry about keeping their balance when they're concentrating

> on a toy. Children who are frequent W-sitters often rely on this

> position for added trunk and hip stability to allow easier toy

> manipulation and play.

>

> When in the W-position, a child is planted in place or " fixed "

> through the trunk. This allows for play with toys in front, but does

> not permit trunk rotation and lateral weight shifts (twisting and

> turning to reach toys on either side). Trunk rotation and weight

> shifts over one side allow a child to maintain balance while running

> outside or playing on the playground and are necessary for crossing

> the midline while writing and doing table top activities.

>

> It's easy to see why this position appeals to so many children, but

> continued reliance on W-sitting can prevent a child from developing

> more mature movement patterns necessary for higher-level skills.

>

> Who should not w-sit? For many children, W-sitting should always be

> discouraged. This position is contraindicated (and could be

> detrimental) for a child if one of the following exists:

>

> There are orthopedic concerns. W-sitting can predispose a child to

> hip dislocation, so if there is a history of hip dysplasia, or a

> concern has been raised in the past, this position should be avoided.

> If there is muscle tightness, W-sitting will aggravate it. This

> position places the hamstrings, hip adductors, internal rotators and

> heel cords in an extremely shortened range. If a child is prone to

> tightness or contractures, encourage anther pattern of sitting.

> There are neurologic concerns/developmental delays. If a child has

> increased muscle tone (hypertonia, spasticity), W-sitting will feed

> into the abnormal patterns of movement trying to be avoided (by

> direction of the child's therapist). Using other sitting postures

> will aid in the development of more desirable movement patterns.

>

> W-sitting can also discourage a child from developing a hand

> preference. Because no trunk rotation can take place when W-sitting,

> a child is less inclined to reach across the body and instead picks

> up objects on the right with the right hand, and those placed to the

> left with the left hand.

>

> Try sitting in various positions. Notice how you got there, got out,

> and what it took to balance. Many of the movement components you are

> trying to encourage in a child are used when getting in and out of

> sitting. Transfers in and out of the Q-position, however, are

> accomplished through straight-plane (directly forward and backward)

> movement only. No trunk rotation, weight shifting, or righting

> reactions are necessary to assume or maintain W-sitting.

>

> How to prevent W-sitting. The most effective (and easiest) way to

> prevent a problem with W-sitting is to prevent it from becoming a

> habit it the first place. Anticipate and catch it before the child

> even learns to W-sit. Children should be placed and taught to assume

> alternative sitting positions. If a child discovers W-sitting anyway,

> help him to move to another sitting position, or say, " Fix your

> legs. " It's very important to be as consistent as possible.

>

> When playing with a child on the floor, hold his knees and feet

> together when kneeling or creeping on hands and knees. It will be

> impossible to get into a W-position from there. The child will either

> sit to one side, or sit back on his feet; he can then be helped to

> sit over to one side from there (try to encourage sitting over both

> the right and left sides). These patterns demand a certain amount of

> trunk rotation and lateral weight shift and should fit with a child's

> therapy goals.

>

> If a child is unable to sit alone in any position other than a W,

> talk with a therapist about supportive seating or alternative

> positions such as prone and sidelying. Tailor sitting against the

> couch may be one alternative; a small table and chair is another.

>

> The therapist(s) working with the child will have many other ideas.

> Caregivers should ask if W-sitting in now, or may in the future, be a

> problem.

>

> About the author: McNamara is with Helping Hands School in

> Clifton Park, NY. The article was written in conjunction with the

> OP/PT staff there.

>

> Unable to find what you're looking for? Search the entire site to

> find information about any subject we have information on.

> Instructions:

> Type a word or words into the form below and press the Search button.

> You may use " quotation marks " to search for a phrase. Adding a plus

> sign (+) before a word or phrase will require its presence; adding a

> minus sign (-) before a word or phrase will require its absence.

>

> Home • Parents' Corner • Parents' Corner Archive • Professional

> Corner • Professional Corner Archive • Case in Progress • Case in

> Progress Archive • Inspirational Messages • Inspirational Messages

> Archive • Direct Services • Consulting • Seminars, Workshops, and

> More • Special Events • Recommended Reading • Recommended Reading for

> Children • Ask the Experts • News Flash • Current Question and

> Answer • Understanding the Lingo • About the Team • Testimonials •

> Fees, Location, and Details • Typical Development: Makenna • Typical

> Development: Lacey • Resources • PrivacyStatement • Confidentiality

>

> CONTENTS (except as noted) ©2003 by Pediatric Services

> 12306 Los Osos Valley Road

> San Obispo, California 93405

> Telephone: 805-772-6014 • Fax: 805-772-8246

>

> E-mail: info@... <info%40pediatricservices.com>

> Click here to ask a question.

> DESIGN ©2003 by Blinn Communications

>

>

> >

> > Any Physical Therapist will tell you that " W " sitting is one of the

> > signs of - I dont want to say LD- but usually a signal that some

> kind

> > of services are needed. My daughter does it but my two typical sons

> > never did. Once you know its a sign of " something " you start to

> notice

> > the kids in Mcs and wonder- is that kid getting services??

> >

>

>

>