This is from the SPD checklist that I took with me to show my son's doctor when my son was about seven years old. This was how I finally got a referral to a developmental pediatrician.
3. Poor Muscle Tone And/Or Coordination:
__ has a limp, "floppy" body
__ frequently slumps, lies down, and/or leans head on hand or arm while working at his/her desk
__ difficulty simultaneously lifting head, arms, and legs off the floor while lying on stomach ("superman" position)
__ often sits in a "W sit" position on the floor to stabilize body
__ fatigues easily!
__ compensates for "looseness" by grasping objects tightly
__ difficulty turning doorknobs, handles, opening and closing items
__ difficulty catching him/her self if falling
__ difficulty getting dressed and doing fasteners, zippers, and buttons
__ may have never crawled as an baby
__ has poor body awareness; bumps into things, knocks things over, trips, and/or appears clumsy
__ poor gross motor skills; jumping, catching a ball, jumping jacks, climbing a ladder etc.
__ poor fine motor skills; difficulty using "tools", such as pencils, silverware, combs, scissors etc.
__ may appear ambidextrous, frequently switching hands for coloring, cutting, writing etc.; does not have an established hand preference/dominance by 4 or 5 years old
__ has difficulty licking an ice cream cone
__ seems to be unsure about how to move body during movement, for example, stepping over something
__ difficulty learning exercise or dance steps
My son had every one of these problems, except for the one about licking an ice cream cone (maybe those neural pathways were better developed through lots of practice) along with some signs of vestibular and proprioceptive dysfunction. Every one of the problems either got a lot better or totally disappeared except for the fatigue problem and I never saw anything on any of the checklists about pain. I think my son's foot pain adds to his feeling of fatigue. The pain problem is what keeps me looking for more answers.
I don't think my son had any problems with muscles or anything else when I was pregnant with him. He kicked a lot. He kicked as much as my former cheerleader daughter did. I think the actual cause of his hypotonia and the SPD had something to do with the difficult birth.
