Low Muscle Tone Toddler

Dear M.,
After reading briefly about torticollis, it appears that there are a number of issues being addressed.
There is an institute that has had marvelous results with may infant/toddler problems and, also, with normal toddlers. It is the Institute for the Achievement of Human Potential. A friend told me about the program and it was excellent for my children....the earlier the better...if there is a specific situation that needs to be addressed. It is on the website: www.iahp.org. I cannot say enough about the programs they have to offer and what you can do as a parent. They are located in Chestnut Hill (part of Philadelphia).

Hi, my son (11) has/had low muscle tone. He was diagnosed at 3yrs and started occupational therapy. He's still a "floppy" kid and not into sports at all, but he can skate and seems to be just fine otherwise. I would look into OT as a place to start. Good luck!

Hi,
I agree about consulting a reputable chiropractor who has worked with young children. My son was never officially diagnosed with torticollis, but he developed a seizure disorder at the age of 6 months. While we went the conventional route and saw a neurologist and started medications, it was not until we saw a chiropractor (corrective chiropractic n Hockessin De) that it was pointed out how "crooked" my sons head was. It was not only tilted, but shifted.
Once the seizures stopped(I feel the chiropractic care was an integral part in this happening due to the correction of the head tilt) and we started early intervention services his therapist told us he had low muscle tone. Here is what we did to address it:

1) PT and OT biweekly
2) Sure Steps orthodics. They are custom molded to fit your childs foot. A company called orthologix will even actually come to you. If you have insurance they will be billed under durable medical equipment so dont worry if your plan says they dont cover oththodics. These braces which go in reguar shoes help keep the foot in proper alignment so that your child can build up the proper muscles.
3)While we have not started yet, we are on a waiting list for Hippotherapy aka horseback riding therapy. Recent research has shown that children with low muscle tone really benefit, it even seems to improve speech.

Spencer is two years and two months now. He can hold a squat nicely, can jump from a standing position which is even advanced for his age etc and he can climb on anything. He walks, runs and is all boy. His verbal skills also have really come along with his physical develoment... he says lots of words and can almost say all of his ABC's. This from a kid we were told may never talk due to the kind of seizures he had.

Hopefully this helps. If you have any additional questions feel free to e-mail me ____@____.com Care, S.

WOW i finally found a site where people are dealing with the same thing we are. My 15 month old daughter is receiving OT, PT, and speech once a week for hypotonia. We have been to the neurologist, had an MRI, genetic testing. They can't find out the reason. We do about an hour or so of therapy with her a night on top of her once a week visits. We have made strides but are noticing that it seems to be more of a learning issue. She now has the strength to do things but has no interest in putting the steps together to crawl. Have any of you gotten a diagnosis? How long did it take you to meet milestones once you started therapy? We have been doing it since February and she is now able to sit, feed herself, hold her sippy cup, and much more. She also has craniosyntosis and pierre robin complex without the cleft palate. She had a strip cranioectomy at 3 months for a fussed saggital suture and underwent helmet therapy for7 months. It wasn't until after that therapy we noticed she wasn't able to sit up and some other issues. I also got to say in Highly recommend the therapists through Early Learning. We are fortunate to have a great group!!!

My niece has low muscle tone in her core. She's been going to PT for a few years now (she's 4) and looks normal to a stranger. She was a late walker as well and had difficulty with tasks such as jumping, skipping, hopping, even climbing steps and marching. She's almost at the same level as other kids her age, thanks to the PT. This is just our experience. There will be a time when she won't need PT anymore (she's almost there), but it's something that she will need to work on throughout her life. Surprisingly/not surprisingly (depending on your thought process), yoga has actually been VERY good for her with developing her balance and working on her core strength.

Hi there,
Has your doctor checked for CMV? That's a virus you might have had during pregnancy that would cause low muscle tone in the baby. Sometimes just knowing why helps. It can also cause hearing problems, so to be on the safe side I'd want to know.

My son is 21 months & just starting to walk indpendently. We have had physical therapy since he was one due to his weak core muscles. This week his pediatrician just mentioned that he may have low muscle tone. Do you know which specialist evaluates for this? He was born w/congenital CMV which another person had mentioned & this may be his only issue from the serious infection he was born with, but doctor's aren't sure. HIs inability to walk doesn't affect his climbing at all, athough I am concerned about sending him to pre-school next year if his strength doesn't improve. Please keep me posted on your son's progress-we can offer each other advice!! Also let me know who identified your son's low muscle tone please, so that I can make sure I see the right doctor!!

Hi M.,

Did the Doctor prescribe Physical Therapy?

Contact Dr. James Stein, Chiropractor, and ask him his opinion about your concerns. His number is

###-###-####

Hope this helps. Good luck. D.

My son, now almost 4 1/2, didn't crawl till 17 mo. and walked at 19 mo. only after some work on his core muscles with a PT. He also had significant feeding issues, drooling and is still delayed in speech, all of which, I believe, are at least partly related to low muscle tone. Now after years of OT he's not too far off the mark -- runs, jumps,climbs, hops -- I never thought I'd see it! He still gets very floppy, though, and has no interest in balls and sports. Does your PT use an exercise ball to bounce him on? If you hold him at the hips, and then later closer to the knees, his core muscles have to do a lot of work to help him keep his balance. Have him lie back, too, and do a kind of sit up a couple times. If you can do some extra practice yourselves, well, the more the better. It sounds to me like the hippotherapy may work partly along those lines, with all the kid's muscles having to constantly adjust to keep him upright. There's a place in Bridgeville, I've heard, that does it. Something like a Gymboree class, too, could be good. Best of luck! Feel free to PM me with any questions.

Hello, M.! My name is A. and I also have a toddler with low muscle tone. She was not diagnosed til she was 15 months old. We becgan working with Early Intervention and at 18 months she is finally starting to walk. Although she does not keep her ankles straight so we may be going to an orthopedists for special inserts. She is also working with OT and Speech. She has come a very long way. And I do beleive that one day she will be perfectly normal and it will be like none of this ever happened. We just have to keep working with her and making her stronger. If you ever want to chat with me more, feel free to PM me. Best of Luck to you! I'm sure your son will do just fine with a little extra help.

My 17 month old has low muscle tone. She has been working with PT for about 6 months. We meet once a week and get pointers on new things to try. She also wears SureStep for pronation of the feet. Now, she is walking about a dozen steps on her own. We've been doing lots of catch up and I think it is working so far. She is not speaking much. Just, ma, da, and ca (cat). But, the PT said she sees delayed speech a lot since kids with low tone are working so h*** o* the physical stuff that usually comes first. What kind of speech problems are you seeing? I too am wondering what this all means long term.