Full Potential, Here We Come...

Whit was seen at Texas Children's Developmental Center today.  This was an anxiously and long-awaited appointment.  The appointment was very positive, and he tolerated it great!  By the end, he was hungry and tired - but he was a trooper!  My mom and dad have kept Maggie and Chap for us, and we have been able to enjoy some much needed quality time with Whit.  He ran errands with me last night, he helped me hang curtains, we went to his Dr. appointment today, took him for a train ride at Hermann Park, and we went to Bass Pro Shops tonight to eat with Amy and "Baby George".  I think he's enjoyed being an "only child" for a few days.

He was assessed in several areas, based on his age of being 30.5 months old.  His overall non-verbal skills were equivalent to 33 months of age.  However, his Fine Motor, Gross Motor, and Expressive Language (which the doctor feels relate to motor issues, too) are equivalent to 27 months of age.  When he was assessed originally by the same doctor at 8 months old, he had the same areas of concern in those three disciplines - and was delayed by 3 months at that time, too.  So, while these are mild delays - the three together compared to his nonverbal skills cause red flags.  Those three motoric brain delays clumped together are sometimes associated with Cerebral Palsy.  He said if it is CP, then it is in its mildest form - but we are not going to give him that big of a label at this point.  We will return for another evaluation in a year, and if he hasn't made any gains to close the 3 month delay gap - then we'll proceed with an MRI and other diagnostic testing.

In the meantime, he prescribed therapeutic services for all areas... Occupational Therapy (Fine Motor/Oral Motor); Physical Therapy (Gross Motor); Speech Therapy (Language/Oral Motor)... all once a week.  He also referred him for a therapeutic rehabilitation evaluation for assessment to see if any rehabilitation methods are needed - such as splints for his ankles and legs.

Whit has hypertonia - which is very high muscle tone.  It is especially high in his ankles and legs.  Therefore, he was also diagnosed with an abnormal gait.  Along with physical therapy, and the rehabilitation evaluation, he recommended high-top shoes to support his ankles and leg muscles.  He also ordered some blood work to check his muscle enzymes to make sure there is no indication of muscular anomalies that might cause the hypertonia (although he didn't think there would be).

The therapy is "medically necessary" for Whit in order to improve the following deficits:

Gross Motor Coordination

Fine Motor Coordination

Gait Training

Developmental stimulation

Range of motion and strengthening

Vestibular/sensory processing

Improve articulation

Expressive Language

Auditory processing/receptive language

Fluency

Voice Quality

Receptive Language

Pragmatic Language skills

While that seems like a long list, the doctor was very pleased that he is progressing.  He is just concerned about the gap and how it hasn't closed in a bit more.  He said that we could just sit back and accept that he is progressing, but he would like to be pro-active in treatment and therapy.  He did say that to the naked eye (such as church, daycare, and other places in public), he appears to be on level and shows little evidence of any developmental delays.  A very true and real observation!!  

Our concerns and predictions were confirmed and affirmed, medically, today.  Now, we will be able to get him the therapeutic help he needs to ensure he reaches his full developmental potential.