Erb's Palsy? Brachial Plexus injury? Anyone?

GeoffreytheGiraffe

17 months after birth and wer're still dealing with this...It's such a roller coaster. 

December 2008 we're discharged from EI and the speicialist tells us DS's arm is 100% cured.  Ha!  15 month pedi apointment and it's low tone, asymmetry, and poor fine motor.  So back to EI.

The EI evealuators scored him at 16 months on his fine motor.  He's just 17 months now, 15 months at the time of the evaluation.  BUT they are coming 2x per week because he's a "golden ticket" diagnosis.   Basically, by law they have to come because of his diagnosis. 

I can see problems with his arm.  He switches hands, braces, and literally cannot do the same things with his left as he can with his right.  But the evaluation has him on target, I don't get it.

I'm just so frustrated.  Anyone have an Erb's baby that is a surgeon now? Anyone?

SJC1984

I'm sorry.  No real advice, but my son has right sided weakness, so I can understand your worry.  My DS cannot make his right arm/leg do a whole let yet, so his left arm/leg is clearly dominant and probably will be forever even if he regains use of his right side.  It will take a long time for your son's other arm to gain as much strength since he has used it primarily probably since birth I assume.  Big hugs!

GeoffreytheGiraffe

Thank you both for your kind responses. 

I was totally babbling.  I am frustrated that my son was evaluated ahead of schedule/age in his fine motor despite receiving twice weekly therapy and being obviously challendged in fine motor with his left hand. 

I do everything I can to make his use that little handy.  I hope to someday have a leftie pitcher for the Red Sox, LOL!

 

Thanks again!

KristiPT

The tests that are being administered aren't designed to catch unilateral involvement like your son's.  The Peabody, which is the developmental scale of choice in many areas, really just measures can the child do the requested task.  While the test is great for catching developmental delay and determining where a child is, it is flawed when you talk about kids with one involved limb.  

I have kids in  my clinic now with unilateral arm problems who were actually denied services in the school based setting because the problem is with their "non-dominant arm".  This is asinine, as it overlooks the entire basis of the problem, which is that the uninvolved arm is only the dominant arm because of the underlying pathology.