EI evaluation results.

Hi,

The babies just had their EI evaluation yesterday to evaluate their motor skills and speech since neither had been walking much nor talking much.

DD passed everything perfectly and does not qualify for anything. She was walking all over the place and learned two new words "Out" and "Off" neither of which she has ever said before. She did sooo good and made momma proud. She has really blossomed in the past couple weeks so I knew that she would more than likely not qualify (the evaluation appointment was already set up so we just kept the appointment)

DS on the otherhand qualified for both speech and phyical therapy. He still only say "Mama" and "Dada" and has yet to walk except on his tippie-toes, and has a very short attention span, and his thinking skills are lagging. I have an appointment next week to make a treatment plan etc. with the EI team but had a question to ask all of you ladies.

DS has yet to walk without walking on his tippie-toes. I thought it was just a phase that he would grow out of and nothing serious. I feel sooo bad now for thinking it was just a phase when all along it is a physical problem. We now we know he has a tight/short Achilles Tendon. Because of this it difficult for him to flatten his feet completely so he walks on his toes. If you try to bend his foot flat it wont even go 90 degrees. I was told you should be able to bend your foot more than 90 degrees. He will have phsical therapy to try and stretch the tendon so that he can walk properly, but looking online it says that that does not always work and that surgery is sometimes necessary. I know that the EI people will explain to me what exactly the treatment will entail but wanted to see if anyone has had this issue with their kids and could fill me in a bit on what the treatment usually entales. Thanks


BTW: The babies are 16 months old

 

PT will basically be stretching exercises. Are his knees tight as well, or is it just in his ankles? If he does require surgery--I have worked with many kids who have had lengthening surgeries, basically, what they do is cut a part of the tendon, so that it frays and lenghtens, then rebuilds itself--think of a thick rope, if you cut it part way, then you can pull and stretch it longer. The downside to the heel cord lengthening, is that he would be in full leg casts for about 6 weeks.

Good luck, hopefully, the PT will do the trick!

 

DS was in PT from 7 months until 16 months - he was a toe walker also and had tight achiles. they will do lots of exercises to help him get stronger. some of the ones that worked best for cameron were having him walk up a foam wedge (like walking up hill - forces him to put his heels down) and to do exercises where he had to step up onto things and we would push his heel down to make him flat footed while he concentrated on getting the toy or whatever.

also - watch him to see if there are shoes that he walks better in - we found with cameron that he was more likely to walk on his toes when he was barefoot or in socks vs in shoes.

i also stretched him a lot - which he did NOT like. they will show you how - but i would either sit with him between my legs and work with him on straightening his leg and pulling back his toes or have him lay down and put his leg up straight and push back on his toes with his whole leg straight. to this day, i do that stretch on him every night when i put lotion on him - having lotion on helps a lot - massage in the lotion first and then manipulate into the stretch.

good luck!

 

my gf has CP and had to have her one ankle tendon snipped when she was a teenager - it really did help with her balance and walking (her one foot is turned though also)...

 

My nephew, now a strapping 6'6" had this when he was little. He didn't walk until very late - I can't remember exactly, but well over 18 months - and used to shuffle along on his knees instead (leaving his hands free). The doctor who diagnosed him said that time and his increasing weight would stretch the tendons allowing him to walk. And it did. He didn't do any form of PT in those days (a long time ago and in England). He's totally fine now.