My daughter refuses to walk - help please

Hello,

My daughter was recently diagnosed with autism, she’s 5 years old. We’ve always struggled with her refusing to walk, even from a young age. We mostly have to carry her or she sits in her 1 year old sisters buggy and I carry the baby instead. It’s really affecting a lot of what we do and we always have to consider how far places are etc. She can walk in small doses perfectly fine, but even at home will sometimes refuse to walk and we have to carry her to where she wants to be. If we don’t, we have severe meltdowns. I can’t seem to find much information on why she refuses to walk and what it might be that’s affecting her with it, maybe sensory based? I’m not really sure what I can do to help her and it’s getting harder and harder as she’s getting bigger. Does anyone have any experience with walking refusal? Is it a demand avoidance type thing? Thanks so much x 

Parents
  • Maybe she doesn’t like socks or tights, my daughter hates them and won’t wear them. She also prefers open sandals. She may just enjoy being carried but as she gets bigger this is going to get difficult. If she has meltdowns because of it it’s likely that there’s a sensory issue. 

Reply
  • Maybe she doesn’t like socks or tights, my daughter hates them and won’t wear them. She also prefers open sandals. She may just enjoy being carried but as she gets bigger this is going to get difficult. If she has meltdowns because of it it’s likely that there’s a sensory issue. 

Children
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