What are the symptoms of Duchenne muscular dystrophy?

The symptoms usually start around age 1-3 years. Parents may notice:

The child having difficulty with walking, running, jumping and climbing stairs. Walking may look different with a 'waddling' type of walk. The boy may be late in starting to walk (although many children without DMD also walk late).
When you pick the child up, you may feel as if he 'slips through your hands', due to looseness of the muscles around the shoulder.