The issue with not crawling.?

Question

My niece is almost 3 (next month) and she shows MANY signs of delay, from motor delay to language and speech delay. She also seems to have poor cognitive function. The thing is, my sister was so proud of the fact that she never ever crawled. Someone told me that there is a link between not having crawled and having some delays. Is there a link? And how the heck do I approach my sister (who is NOT the nicest person) about my niece whom I adore and want to see get the help she deserves?

Answer 1

Crawling is actually not considered a milestone. I have not heard of anything linking not crawling indicating any troubles.

Answer 2

Usually the delays are physical, but SOME children never crawl and are perfectly fine.. may be lacking a little muscle wise but you should have your sister talk to the dr about that cause if it becomes a pattern it's goign to be hard to break

Answer 3

Here is a web site that might interest you.  It explains developmental milestones and indicators to watch for that might indicate problems.

http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/actearl...

If I were in your position, I would be hesitant to say a whole lot to my sister, too.  I think I might just ask questions, and phrase them in an interested and general way.  "How many words do kids this age normally have in their vocabulary?"  and "This puzzle says it's for kids age 3-5.  Doesn't she like puzzles?"  If you phrase it like she's the expert and you're just wondering, she might be more receptive.  If she expresses any concern, you could say "Well I don't really know anything about that.  Maybe you should check in with her doctor and see."

Answer 4

There is a link between children who do not crawl and having later language problems, along with problems in apraxia (motor planning) writing and reading.  These seem to be related because children who do not crawl, have not developed the hand/eye coordination that is necessary for later left to right reading capabilities as well as the ability to operate different sides of the brain at the same time (as in writing).  It sounds as if her delay is pretty global.  Skipping crawling (or any major milestone) can be a sign of a developmental problem.  

  Approaching your sister will be a different problem... some people are not receptive to the idea that there may be something wrong with their child.  I would mention my concern, state what I had learned from research, perhaps find reference to what she should be able to do at this point (check out HELP Strands, or the Denver, developmental profiles to get an idea of what she should be doing at this point), and suggest that she have her child evaluated (for free) from the school district.

Answer 5

she could poss have PDD.. and yes I have heard of children who do not crawl have delays but i dont know if it is scientific I have 5 yr who scooted he has autism

Answer 6

Get some back up information, do some research online, books...Don't just go to her with I think something is wrong with your daughter.