Training profoundly retarded children to stop crawling.

Hake et al. (1972) worked with four children who had profound intellectual disability. All four still crawled even though they could walk.

The team used two tactics. First, they held the child's hips for a few seconds when crawling began. Second, they praised and guided the child to take steps. Sessions ran in the school hallway.

Every child dropped crawling and walked more. Two children with weak legs needed an occasional hip hold later on. The other two walked on their own.

Skills stayed high for up to six weeks with almost no extra help.

Dube et al. (1989) got the same walking goal without any restraint. One preschooler with ID and cerebral palsy learned to walk 150 feet after trainers shaped small steps and let him listen to a dishwasher sound as a reward. Both studies show you can trade crawling or unstable gait for proper walking.

Wilder et al. (2024) and Semino et al. (2025) used light prompts plus praise to fix toe walking in autistic children. Their gentle shoulder tap mirrors the hip hold used here, but they pair it with social praise instead of blocking the old step.

Wilder et al. (2020) swapped restraint for fun heel squeakers that make noise only when the child lands on the heel. Two of three autistic kids still quit toe walking, proving sound feedback can replace physical holds.

You now have three ways to normalize gait: brief restraint, gentle prompts, or sensory toys. Start with the least intrusive tool that works. If a child has poor leg strength, keep a hip hold in your back pocket for maintenance. Always pair any prompt with cheers or stickers so walking becomes the easy, fun choice.