I’ve been told a few times by doctors that my son Nicholas may never walk. He arched his back a lot due to low muscle tone, had sensory issues, and poor balance.

Since the beginning, Nicholas has been delayed with his gross motor skills. He never liked tummy time, would roll over occasionally, and never crawled. We started occupational therapy (OT) at 6 months old through Early Intervention. He had a lot of trouble in therapy and was very uncomfortable. We worked on sitting, but he would arch his back out of discomfort. He was diagnosed with sensory processing disorder shortly after starting OT.

It was hard watching him get so upset and be so uncomfortable. We wanted to challenge him even if that meant him crying for a few minutes. I remember one session where we were practicing sitting, and Nicholas cried in a different way, a painful way. Like he was genuinely hurting. It was a cry out for help. I told her he needed to stop and we did.

We began physical therapy (PT) six months later, which helped immensly separting the two. That way each therapist could focus on their specialty. Nicholas scooted on his back and his bottom to get around. He learned how to sit on his own, but liked having someone behind him; he needed that human touch. He was a little less than 2 years old when he finally separated from us and moved around the house on his own.

We worked on standing a little bit off and on, but didn’t really dive in until about a year ago when he was ready. Nicholas would pull to stand at the coffee table and cruise around in his crib. We put him in a walker at school and he loved figuring out how to move in it. We eventually got him his own walker that he’d use in the hallway of our apartment building and at the park.

Nicholas is now 3.5 years old and walks holding our hands or using the wall for support. He can also go up and down a flight of stairs holding onto the railing. We’ve had the same PT for two years and she’s amazing. She challenges him but also backs off when he needs it. She knows how Nicholas is and respects the way he does things.

I’ve always known that he would walk, because I know my son. I know that he does things at his own pace on his time. The non-walking has never been about strength, but about his sensitivies and confidence. He used to walk on his toes, because his feet are sensitive. But now, he walks flat-footed.

Nicholas loves walking and wants to do it all the time. We recently did the Autism Speaks walk where we circled the parking lot of a church three times and he walked almost the whole time. This is such an exciting time for him with his development. Once he learns how to do something, he takes off with it and never stops. That’s exactly what’s happening with his walking. Nicholas is walking so much and not looking back.