Child with CP - Fear of walking

My son is almost 4 years old. He is diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy and has been working very hard through PT to get stronger and as independent as possible. For the past year we noticed, as he gets closer and closer to walking independently, he is petrified of making the next step and trying to walk on his own. You can tell by looking at his eyes that he is so scared to do anything that might challenge him more, he asks for us to be around him, to walk behind him (while he walks with a walker) and even says to us, and his PT's, when asked to make that first step - "I am scared". I have been told by many therapists that he is on a verge of walking, it just has to "click" and he will be there. He is extremely smart, very communicative, friendly child. He currently crawls (last year there was no money in the world to get him to do that, now we can't stop him), and can walk with assistance - us or a walker. How can we help him overcome his fears so he can continue developing and hopefully walking independently soon on his own?

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

All you can realistically do is continue to work with his PT people and be patient, understanding and encouraging. It is understandable that this new experience is unsettling for him, and with repeated trials he will likely make progress.