I always assumed that The Little Madam's bum-shuffling was just an alternative to crawling and nothing more. So it annoyed me when I kept coming across advice from SPARC (a government organisation hell-bent on making us Kiwis do more exercise), about the importance of crawling to neurological development in babies, toddlers and young children. It seemed to me that they were ignoring bum-shufflers, because surely bum-crawlers don't end up all retarded do they?
But the Plunket nurse, at TLM's 15-month weigh-in, seemed terribly keen that I encourage her to get crawling. And she crushed my already diminishing peace of mind by referring to some research linking bum-shuffling with learning difficulties.
So I Googled it, as you do. And there are numerous mentions of bum-shuffling being linked to learning difficulties, especially dyslexia.
So for the rest of the evening I'll be searching the discussion boards for anecdotes about bum-shufflers who grew up to be Nobel Prize-winning scientists, Mensa members and polymaths.
9 comments:
If it make you feel any better, while some of Patrick's contemporaries were bum shuffling, crawling and even walking at the age of 11 months, Patrick was still using rolling as his favourite form of getting from a to b. When he did crawl it was only for a couple of weeks before he was up on his feet and walking which wasn't until the age of 15 or 16 months if I remember correctly.
I know it's not the same as TLM. I suppose the point I'm trying to make is that all littlies are different and the vast majority of them get there in the end. Also if you know of the link between bum shuffling and dyslexia, at least you are forewarned and forearmed and know to keep an eye out for things that perhaps you might otherwise have missed.
TLM looks healthy and the other things you have said about her seem completely normal.
Tell the Plunket nurse to go boil her head..
I thought bum shuffling, commando crawling, etc. were all forms of crawling, and counted on the developmental scale. Eh, but what do I know?
I'm sure she's fine, and destined to be brilliant.
what a complete load of gobshite. My brother bum shuffled and he's as right as rain. So did his daughter and she's scrumptious. These kids are actually way smarter than crawlers - you can't hold anything while you're crawling.
Steve Earle ( most famous for Copper Head Road) didn't walk or even bum shuffle till he was 2. He didn't talk either. Then he went straight to running and speaking in full sentences with a very advanced vocabulary. He just skipped the intermediate stages possibly due to ornerieness.
I'm sure the TLM will be fine but even at worse I work with someone who has dyslexia-and a doctorate. These things can be managed and overcome with determination and support.
Every child is different and each go through different stages at different times. I would say don't worry too much about it. People say things to make me worry all the time. My son's neck was a little thick when I was 12 weeks pregnant and they thought he could have downs and guess what they were wrong and my son has no problems.
But, we are mothers so we can't help but worry. It was easy for everyone to tell me not to worry but hard for me not to. So all I can say is I will listen to your worries and it is ok.
We worry about those we care the most about.
Thanks for your comforting comments. It was just what I need - evidence to the contrary.
.. I can't see how you could make her do anything else, though. Apparently crawling is a necessary step along the way. But it doesn't have to be for long! One of the quads was bum-shuffling for I don't know how long.. Then started crawling & walking more or less at the same time (aged 17-18 months? They were born prematurely, but still..) --- crawling only a few days or so, but the maternal health centre said that would do the trick..
- They started school this autumn and there seems to be absolutely nothing wrong with his learning abilities, on the contrary!
She might just crawl around a few hours one afternoon, and voila! You've got yourself a Pulitzer prize winner...
scholiast:...or an evil genius who thinks up increasingly imaginative ways to torture her mother...
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