Today I met with Children's Dr to review Morgan's Nueropsychological evaluation. Add another diagnosis to the list..Nonverbal Learning Disability (NLD) :(
While this was disappointing to take in, the meeting and information he provided was fascinating and explains a lot of the behaviors and delays we see with Morgan so happy to have some insight and recommendations on how to best approach parenting and teaching situations.
If you are interested in the specifics of what this means, keep reading, will try to summarize the key points of our discussion! NLD is a disorder which is usually characterized by a significant discrepancy between higher verbal skills and weaker motor, visual-spatial and social skills.. This is an area we have been trying to pinpoint for months/years but it explains a lot of her visual spatial and slow processing time. She is a strong VERBAL learner but therefore the use of visual cues (which is what her IEP and therapists often turn to in order to assist with processing/facilitate responses from her) do not help her with the absence of verbal instruction/scripts. Basically we will need to focus on providing verbal and detailed language instruction for her to learn and follow. He provided her evaluation results and so interesting that all of her language and verbal memory functioning and comprehension is average for her age but all of her visual spatial, reasoning, and processing are listed as low average or mildly impaired. So now what? He gave us a very detailed report with some extremely helpful recommendations, books, tools, apps, music therapy, etc. - lots of reading and work to do here and hoping to implement these approaches and see some positive results! He also has information and recommendations for her teachers and therapists and offered to take the time to speak with them or meet with them face to face - very impressed with this offer! This is not a disability that will go away but identifying it at her young age is a positive thing and can learn to manage it to hopefully see that gap between her verbal and visual processing shrink versus grow over time. We will meet with neuropsych every 2 years to reassess/test to check on progress and address any concerns.
My Journey with hydrocephalus and Cerebral Palsy
Morgan Grace was born 3 1/2 months early on Aug, 21, 2012 weighing just 1 lb 7 oz and 13 inches long. Morgan was hospitalized at Children's Hospital NICU in Minneapolis, MN for 108 long days. During this time she encountered many medical challenges common to "micro preemies" but most devastating was to hear she had suffered from grade III/IV Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH / brain bleed). We were told she may never walk or talk and they would not be able to tell the severity of the damage until she is older. The IVH resulted in Hydrocephalus, a condition she will have for life. At two, Morgan was also diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy.
I have found it very difficult to find information online - stories and information on hydrocephalus, shunts and people's experiences - so decided to write this blog to share what we have been through. I hope some day that Morgan can take over writing from her perspective. More importantly I hope maybe it can shed some light for other hydrocephalus and Cerebral Palsy patients and families. We welcome comments and questions.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
Hydrocephalus is also known as "water on the brain", is a medical condition in which there is an abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the ventricles, or cavities, of the brain. This may cause increased intracranial pressure inside the skull and progressive enlargement of the head, convulsion, tunnel vision, and mental disability. Hydrocephalus can also cause death. It is more common in infants, although it can occur in older adults.
The cause of Cerebral Palsy is a brain injury that occurs while the brain is developing. As a result of the brain damage during brain development a child's muscle control, muscle coordination, muscle tone, reflex, posture and balance can be affected.
I have found it very difficult to find information online - stories and information on hydrocephalus, shunts and people's experiences - so decided to write this blog to share what we have been through. I hope some day that Morgan can take over writing from her perspective. More importantly I hope maybe it can shed some light for other hydrocephalus and Cerebral Palsy patients and families. We welcome comments and questions.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
Hydrocephalus is also known as "water on the brain", is a medical condition in which there is an abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the ventricles, or cavities, of the brain. This may cause increased intracranial pressure inside the skull and progressive enlargement of the head, convulsion, tunnel vision, and mental disability. Hydrocephalus can also cause death. It is more common in infants, although it can occur in older adults.
The cause of Cerebral Palsy is a brain injury that occurs while the brain is developing. As a result of the brain damage during brain development a child's muscle control, muscle coordination, muscle tone, reflex, posture and balance can be affected.
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