Finding Tess

So, it's no real secret that Tess has been a little slow with this walking business. We had her 18 month check-up on Monday. In most areas, she's doing really well. She's still such a tall girl: 33 1/4 inches tall and she weighs 22 lbs 1 oz. That puts her in the 90th percentile for height and 25th percentile for weight. The doctor was glad to hear she's started taking some steps on her own, but thought it would be good to go through with the ChildFind appointment I had set up for her.

ChildFind is a county government program aimed at early intervention with childhood developmental delays. Tess had a screening on Tuesday and a full-blown 2 hr. evaluation this morning. It was a positive experience, but it's tough to sit back and watch as your child's weaknesses are examined. Tess had a good time playing with all their toys. She had a meltdown when they left, which means she enjoyed herself.

The coordinator came with a physical therapist and a speech therapist. Together, they did a full evaluation in all her areas of development. Her development is age appropriate in all areas, except for gross motor skills. They determined that she's at about 13-14 mos. in that area, or about a 25% delay. The PT said she has "mildly low muscle tone" in her legs, overpronation in her feet, and she has difficulty supporting her upper body as a result. She recommended prescription orthotics and physical therapy to help strengthen her legs. She also suggested some activities we can do at home to help get her started.

They also pointed out that she has some sensory sensitivities--she doesn't like having her feet touched, she's not real snuggly, she doesn't like the feeling of grass, and she'll do a crab crawl to avoid rough surfaces. They weren't overly concerned about this area because there are many things she's not sensitive too: crawling on carpet, tags in her clothing, messy food on her face, a dirty diaper, splashing water. They just thought we should be aware and let the doctor know if her sensitivities increase.

They said the best thing about her is her delightful personality and her enthusiasm for play and walking. She was charming them, big time.

She's on the border, but with a 25% delay, she qualifies for services under the program. The kind of frustrating part of all this is that, OK, now you know what the problem is, but there's a waiting list for actual services to address the problem. They said the waiting list for PT wasn't really long, but they'll let me know when they have openings. In the meantime, we're supposed to put her in hightop walking shoes (no summer sandals) and do some exercises at home and in the pool with her.

On recommendation of my pediatrician, I have an appt with a pediatric neurologist at the end of July. The PT thought this was still a good idea, since she's had issues with balance and falling. Her legs are one thing, but the idea that there may be something wrong with her brain makes my heart race.

One step at a time. Right now it's time for a Dr. Pepper.