Plagiocephaly/Brachycephaly and Speech Delays?

robynlesley

Hi everyone!

I'm an infrequent poster on this board as my DS (23 months) had Torticollis and Brachycephaly and was in PT and wore 2 DOC Bands to correct both conditions. It seemed that beyond that, my son was an average child. But I'd been concerned re: his speech for a few months and he had his evaluation with Early Intervention yesterday. 

I didn't expect the delays he has. I thought, yeah, he has some. But not a lot.  He ended up having at least 33% delays in Communication, Speech & Language and in Social/Emotional Development.  He has 25% delay in Cognitive (which I don't really understand what that means). I'm waiting to hear from EI to set up his plan and start therapy.

I probably am grasping at straws, but when I helmeted Aaron, I read that plagiocephaly (brachy) can lead to developmental delays (in one study, other say not). I'm trying not to blame myself for this. And I KNOW in the grand scheme of things, this is MINOR and I am grateful every day for my son's overall health. But I was curious if anyone else who has a LO who wore a helmet has a speech delay.

My DH is very upset. I think he is worried that our DS will have the same developmental issues our nephew has (PDD_NOS). Though my SIL says no and I don't think so, either.

Thanks for any replies. I very much appreciate it.

robynlesley

Thanks for your reply, Auntie. I appreciate it.  And I'm thinking that his Tort and Brachy only impacted his early gross motor skills (ie. rolling). By the time he was out of PT, he was crawling and had full range of motion. But I was wondering if there WAS any correlation with speech.

My SIL feels that my son is not like hers in that he connects emotionally to others and that he makes good eye contact and cuddles. So I thought it was unlikely as he seemed typical, beyond having tantrums. I didn't realize how behind his speech was. Nobody would (or could) tell me where he SHOULD be. I kept getting "Oh boys don't talk until they're 2." You know?

Now I'm not so sure. He does have a couple of red flags (ie. not responding to his name and being intensely attached to a toy). I have a hearing test scheduled for the end of the month and the EI evaluation team suggested I take him to a developmental pediatrician.  I don't know what to focus on.  I guess I'll mention any concerns to that pedi and go from there.

 

 

thefuturemrskudla

-auntie-:

robynlesley:

The thing is, if you've seen one kid on spectrum you've seen one kid on spectrum.  

 

 

Hi, Auntie.  I understand how the presentation of any syndrome/condition/disorder can vary from child to child, but aren't there commonalities among children on the spectrum one may expect to see in some shape or form?

realisticdreams

I just wanted to add that Peyton just started talking this past week & had both severe tort, plagio & brachy...

robynlesley

realisticdreams:

I just wanted to add that Peyton just started talking this past week & had both severe tort, plagio & brachy...

Peyton is adorable.  And thanks for letting me know.

I'm not going to jump to conclusions or rule anything out.  And whatever is going on, just a speech issue or something more, I'll tackle as it arises. I hope for nothing more than the delays I'm aware of, of course. 

robynlesley

I totally understand.  I hope my son is not on the spectrum but will have him evaluated regardless because I feel knowledge is power and because I've seen what years of therapy have done for my nephew.

When I met him (age 3), he would constantly "flap" his hands and he made little eye contact with others.  He has an extremely high IQ and was reading and speaking well but would have meltdowns easily. Now he's 8 and he's extremely social and has a good bunch of friends

It was only recently that my SIL told me his dx was PDD_Nos. Though reading your post, I'm surprised. Since he's exceptionally intelligent.  But he's SO much better and, overall, does very well socially in school (academically he is ahead).

So knowing this, I'm ready for any outcome. Due to my son's cheerful (overall) and generous personality, and his connection to others and social nature, I'm still hoping it's just a developmental delay and not an ASD spectrum condition. But if it is, I'll go from there.

For now, I'm just hoping that EI calls me to set up the next step.

duchess0727

Hi Robyn! I know its really overwhelming to get that kind of information (and definitely harder even for DH) but your son is still very young and it's great that you will start getting him services now.  I wouldn't worry about the social/emotional since boys are typically less mature in those areas when they are younger in general.  For the speech and communication, starting therapy will be a huge help and it's likely he will be caught up before he starts school.  For cognitive, it's difficult to test a child who is behind in communication because they can't always communicate what they know.  Don't look for blame - it's doesn't do anyone any good.  It could be from the plagiocephaly but there are a lot of kids with speech delays that are not related to anything.  Good luck!

Jillian695

I just found this thread because I am concerned about my daughter not talking much at 21 months...She had torticolis and severe plagiocephaly as well.  She has been late to hit all her gross motor milestones ( crawling, sitting, walking). 

I was curious how your son is doing now??

klgallup

My son had tort and mild plagiacephaly (no helmet needed in our case). He was on the later end to hit gross motor milestones and is speech delayed (37% at 23 months). He had made huge gains in speech therapy. He is 2 1/2 now and I think he may no longer qualify for services when they re evaluate in February. His therapist is perplexed because she sees characteristics of his speech similar with kids she works with that have speech apraxia but doesn't think he fits that diagnosis completely.

I am not sure if the delays are related to the tort but I have wondered. Interesting theory. Good luck to you!

realisticdreams

I didn't read all the replies but just wanted to jump in and say DD1 had severe brachy, mild plagio (we actually didn't helmet, it was a tough decision and we got multiple opinions), and she had a speech delay as well.  That being said, at almost 4 her speech is very good and she is able to be understood by most adults as well.  I don't know if their is a link or not.  DD2 had a speech delay but no headshape problems or tort.

Mrs. Alice

I didn't read all the replies above but I never knew there was a correlation between plagio and speech delays. My twins had severe plagio/brachycephaly and wore helmets at 6 months old. They've been in early intervention since 20 months old for speech and developmental delays. I always assumed it was because of their prematurity (28 weekers).