Re: Connection between Plagio and Autism

[Guest guest]

Hi . All concerns to be checked out with your ped, even if nothing just for peace of mind.

I don't know about autism and plagio or any other connections. I wanted to comment on one of your questions though - My baby has brain damage from a cranial bleed and had brain surgery at 10 days old. We have been seeing a neurosurgeon and neurologist since he was born - and they still recommended the helmet for him. With their vast knowledge and expertise in the brain, I am convinced they would not have recommended, nor written letters of medical necessity for my insurance appeal, if they felt that the helmet would in anyway bruise the brain or cause further damage to him (or damage at all to any other child).

That's my experience. is recently in a starband and we started after 1 year of age.

Good luck with your decision.

Angie

From: tough.keith <tough.keith@...>Subject: Connection between Plagio and AutismPlagiocephaly Date: Friday, September 25, 2009, 11:48 PM

Hello,I am wondering if anyone out there has statistics on the amount of children with Plagio that end up getting diagnosed with Autism. My daughter is 6 months, and we are doing the preliminary visits with Cranial Technologies to get her a helmet. She was born with tort causing her to turn her head to the right when she slept. I am a new mom and do not have any friends who are parents so I didn't think it was an issue. That is until she had a noticeable flat head on the right side at 4 months. As soon as the doctor brought this to our attention, we started sleeping her on her side using a positioner. He head has improved very well in the last 2 months, but it is still a bit flat and her ears are not even so we are still planning to get the helmet. Since her 4 month well appointment, she has shown several signs of autism. Her smiling has regressed, she rarely makes eye contact, she doesn't respond very often when someone calls her name, she

twirls her wrists and feet constantly, her head size has rapidly grown over the last 2 months, she has no desire to sit up (she can though so she is still meeting milestones), she is obsessed with lights ceiling fans and televisions, she does not seem very interested in other babies or animals, she does not like when I try to hold her hands to teach her to wave or clap. She also had major reflux problems at 3 months which helped lead to the plagio since she refused tummy time and would push back even when we tried to sit her up on our laps. She has received no treatment other than our initial appt with CT. I did not even know that we should be doing exercises for the tort or take her to therapy for it. I feel like her autism signs have just suddenly appeared. Conveniently since the Plagio started. I followed the babywise schedule which had her sleeping through the night at 6 weeks. She has been a very good sleeper since 6 weeks which also contributed to

the Plagio. She still sleeps between 14 and 18 hours a day at 6 months. She doesn't seem to have sensory ! issues o ther than that she like to hold soft materials when she sleeps, but I think that is pretty normal. Because we were trying to keep her off of her back at 4 months, we bought her a jumperoo and an exersaucer. She would refuse to sit in them unless the tv was on. I would try everything to get her to play without the tv and she would just scream. Tummy time was impossible because she would just roll right over to her back. She would almost suffocate herself on a boppy pillow during tummy time. So the jumperoo and exersaucer just seemed to make sense. After I started noticing signs of autism, I did research on the causes. It seems like A LOT of babies with plagio and tort have signs of autism. I also researched that some studies show that too much exposure to the tv may contribute to the increase in autism over the past decade. It just seems

weird that autism started to be more common when pediatricians suggested sleeping babies on their backs. Since doing all of this research, I have no longer offered the television, and my husband and I do not even have it on at all until she goes to bed for the night. Since she is 6 months now, she is too big for her sleep positioner but she does still sleep on her side or stomach (on her own) so she is still pretty much off of the back of her head 24 hours a day. I keep her sitting up or I hold her all day to keep her from laying back. We do sometimes have long car rides though. Friends and family think it is not an issue since she does smile. The problem is that I know my baby and she does not smile nearly as much as she once did. I really feel that her plagio and tort are connected to these early signs of autism. I would like to know if there are any parents out there of children 3 or older who had plagio issues and do not show signs of autism. Also,

are there any parents who decided not to get the helmet? I have read that it can bruise the brain. Maybe the helmets contribut to something? If there are parents of older children who opted not to do t! he helme t, how does your child's head look now? Did it correct itself? Do they have any semmetry problems like their ears not lining up? I am needing to make a decision on the corrective helmet ASAP since my daughter is 6 1/2 months and I know that it will take a while to get it as well. Time is running out if we want to have the best results from the helmet since she is getting to be older and her head will not be as easy to transform. Please help me understand what is happening to my baby.Thank you,first time mom and new to the group

[Guest guest]

I have never heard of a connection. My oldest son has Aspergers (on the

autistic spectrum), and did NOT have plagio; my 3rd son, currently in a helmet,

does not act at all like N. did at 11 months, so I don't anticipate him being on

the spectrum.

I will say that if you are having concerns about autism NOW, start reading NOW.

YOU will have to be the expert; there isn't much out there for autism in babies

and very young children. Tony Atwood is a good one to start reading. Don't

know if you know about Aspergers and high functioning autism, but that's what's

really on the rise--because people are becoming more aware and giving a name to

something that wasn't named before. We noticed it at 2 (and could look back to

6 months of age and remember signs) and got on TOP of it--and at nearly 7 years

old, we've trained a lot of the social weaknesses out. N. is homeschooled-(I

had to pull him out of preschool at 3 because of the issues), and that helps

remove the stress of large groups, but he can play city-league sports, be in

scouts, take museum classes--and no one even knows he has Aspergers. Because we

started EARLY, researching, therapy, home social skills training, etc. (He

actually could

probably do well in school now, but I've come to love homeschooling, and we

have a lot of community support---)

So I can't help you with any plagio connection, but I can tell you that early

intervention can make a HUGE difference in autistic spectrum disorders, so read

all you can-- I hope you get some answers.

Betsy

Hello,

I am wondering if anyone out there has statistics on the amount of children with

Plagio that end up getting diagnosed with Autism. Her smiling has regressed,

she rarely makes eye contact, she doesn't respond very often when someone calls

her name, she twirls her wrists and feet constantly, her head size has rapidly

grown over the last 2 months, she has no desire to sit up (she can though so she

is still meeting milestones), she is obsessed with lights ceiling fans and

televisions, she does not seem very interested in other babies or animals, she

does not like when I try to hold her hands to teach her to wave or clap. I feel

like her autism signs have just suddenly appeared. Conveniently since the Plagio

started. I followed the babywise schedule which had her sleeping through the

night at 6 weeks. I also researched that some studies show that too much

exposure to the tv may contribute to the increase in autism over the past

decade. Please help me

understand what is happening to my baby.

Thank you,

first time mom and new to the group

[Guest guest]

Hello ,

I can't directly answer your question, although I do work in a field where I see older children with Autism and I do have a niece began showing signs at around 18 or 19 months.

What I can tell you is that is participating in a long-term research study at Kennedy Krieger Institute here in Baltimore that is designed to identify early predictors of Autsim. She participates as a typically developing child. Among the things that they are looking at is head and facial features. They took head measurements and pictures of her facial features. That tells me that at least someone has a theory that problems with head and facial shapes are somehow connected to Autism. What I have heard is usually related to the size of the head (large) as well as certain facial features, but I don't believe this is in reference to asymmetry. was in her helmet at our last visit (17 months). She goes again for the 24 month visit next week. Anyway, in all of the cases of Autism that I've seen, I've never heard of one where the child wore a helmet. I've also never seen one where plagio was mentioned in the developmental history. Of course, it's possible that the parents just didn't share this information because they didn't think it was relevant.

I sincerely hope that your daughter does not go on to develop Autsim. Six months is quite young to start showing the signs. Maybe you're just more in tune or she may go on to develop a more severe form of it. Or, maybe what she is doing is normal. Have you consulted a specialist? Perhaps you could contact your local Infants and Toddlers or Early Intervention program to get her evaluated. If they find difficulties, they can offer therapy. There is much that can be done through early intervention. I have seen cases where children began receiving interventions during or before the preschool years and no longer showed signs at age 5 or 6.

Good luck with your daughter and your decision. For what it's worth, I don't believe that the helmet restricts brain growth if it is managed correctly. They would not have been approved by the FDA if they did. My daughter wore hers for over 6 months and her development is completely normal. She walked at 9 months, had 100 words by 16 months, and was toilet trained at about 22 months.

, mom to , 25 months

STARband grad May 2009

Chiro and CST

land

Connection between Plagio and Autism

Hello,I am wondering if anyone out there has statistics on the amount of children with Plagio that end up getting diagnosed with Autism. My daughter is 6 months, and we are doing the preliminary visits with Cranial Technologies to get her a helmet. She was born with tort causing her to turn her head to the right when she slept. I am a new mom and do not have any friends who are parents so I didn't think it was an issue. That is until she had a noticeable flat head on the right side at 4 months. As soon as the doctor brought this to our attention, we started sleeping her on her side using a positioner. He head has improved very well in the last 2 months, but it is still a bit flat and her ears are not even so we are still planning to get the helmet. Since her 4 month well appointment, she has shown several signs of autism. Her smiling has regressed, she rarely makes eye contact, she doesn't respond very often when someone calls her name, she twirls her wrists and feet constantly, her head size has rapidly grown over the last 2 months, she has no desire to sit up (she can though so she is still meeting milestones), she is obsessed with lights ceiling fans and televisions, she does not seem very interested in other babies or animals, she does not like when I try to hold her hands to teach her to wave or clap. She also had major reflux problems at 3 months which helped lead to the plagio since she refused tummy time and would push back even when we tried to sit her up on our laps. She has received no treatment other than our initial appt with CT. I did not even know that we should be doing exercises for the tort or take her to therapy for it. I feel like her autism signs have just suddenly appeared. Conveniently since the Plagio started. I followed the babywise schedule which had her sleeping through the night at 6 weeks. She has been a very good sleeper since 6 weeks which also contributed to the Plagio. She still sleeps between 14 and 18 hours a day at 6 months. She doesn't seem to have sensory issues other than that she like to hold soft materials when she sleeps, but I think that is pretty normal. Because we were trying to keep her off of her back at 4 months, we bought her a jumperoo and an exersaucer. She would refuse to sit in them unless the tv was on. I would try everything to get her to play without the tv and she would just scream. Tummy time was impossible because she would just roll right over to her back. She would almost suffocate herself on a boppy pillow during tummy time. So the jumperoo and exersaucer just seemed to make sense. After I started noticing signs of autism, I did research on the causes. It seems like A LOT of babies with plagio and tort have signs of autism. I also researched that some studies show that too much exposure to the tv may contribute to the increase in autism over the past decade. It just seems weird that autism started to be more common when pediatricians suggested sleeping babies on their backs. Since doing all of this research, I have no longer offered the television, and my husband and I do not even have it on at all until she goes to bed for the night. Since she is 6 months now, she is too big for her sleep positioner but she does still sleep on her side or stomach (on her own) so she is still pretty much off of the back of her head 24 hours a day. I keep her sitting up or I hold her all day to keep her from laying back. We do sometimes have long car rides though. Friends and family think it is not an issue since she does smile. The problem is that I know my baby and she does not smile nearly as much as she once did. I really feel that her plagio and tort are connected to these early signs of autism. I would like to know if there are any parents out there of children 3 or older who had plagio issues and do not show signs of autism. Also, are there any parents who decided not to get the helmet? I have read that it can bruise the brain. Maybe the helmets contribut to something? If there are parents of older children who opted not to do the helmet, how does your child's head look now? Did it correct itself? Do they have any semmetry problems like their ears not lining up? I am needing to make a decision on the corrective helmet ASAP since my daughter is 6 1/2 months and I know that it will take a while to get it as well. Time is running out if we want to have the best results from the helmet since she is getting to be older and her head will not be as easy to transform. Please help me understand what is happening to my baby.Thank you,first time mom and new to the group

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

I would say is developing ahead of schedule. :|)  That is how

my older son (very mild plagio) was with walking and talking.  The

potty training he refused to do until 3.5 years.

Perhaps children with some delays are more likely to develop

plagio/brachy and more severely.  If a baby is slow to sit, crawl, and

move around, they may end up on their back more. 

-Kathy

wrote:

 

Hello ,

 

I can't directly answer your question, although I do work in a

field where I see older children with Autism and I do have a niece

began showing signs at around 18 or 19 months.

 

What I can tell you is that is participating in a

long-term research study at Kennedy Krieger Institute here in Baltimore

that is designed to identify early predictors of Autsim. She

participates as a typically developing child. Among the things that

they are looking at is head and facial features. They took head

measurements and pictures of her facial features. That tells me that at

least someone has a theory that problems with head and facial shapes

are somehow connected to Autism.  What I have heard is usually related

to the size of the head (large) as well as certain facial features, but

I don't believe this is in reference to asymmetry. was in her

helmet at our last visit (17 months). She goes again for the 24 month

visit next week.

Anyway, in all of the cases of Autism that I've seen, I've never heard

of one where the child wore a helmet. I've also never seen one where

plagio was mentioned in the developmental history. Of course, it's

possible that the parents just didn't share this information because

they didn't think it was relevant.

 

I sincerely hope that your daughter does not go on to develop

Autsim. Six months is quite young to start showing the signs. Maybe

you're just more in tune or she may go on to develop a more severe form

of it.  Or, maybe what she is doing is normal. Have you consulted a

specialist? Perhaps you could contact your local Infants and Toddlers

or Early Intervention program to get her evaluated. If they find

difficulties, they can offer therapy. There is much that can be done

through early intervention. I have seen cases where children began

receiving interventions during or before the preschool years and no

longer showed signs at age 5 or 6.  

 

Good luck with your daughter and your decision. For what it's

worth, I don't believe that the helmet restricts brain growth if it is

managed correctly. They would not have been approved by the FDA if they

did. My daughter wore hers for over 6 months and her development is

completely normal. She walked at 9 months, had 100 words by 16 months,

and was toilet trained at about 22 months.

 

, mom to , 25 months

STARband grad May 2009

Chiro and CST

land

       

 

Connection between Plagio and Autism

 

Hello,

I am wondering if anyone out there has statistics on the amount of

children with Plagio that end up getting diagnosed with Autism. My

daughter is 6 months, and we are doing the preliminary visits with

Cranial Technologies to get her a helmet. She was born with tort

causing her to turn her head to the right when she slept. I am a new

mom and do not have any friends who are parents so I didn't think it

was an issue. That is until she had a noticeable flat head on the right

side at 4 months. As soon as the doctor brought this to our attention,

we started sleeping her on her side using a positioner. He head has

improved very well in the last 2 months, but it is still a bit flat and

her ears are not even so we are still planning to get the helmet. Since

her 4 month well appointment, she has shown several signs of autism.

Her smiling has regressed, she rarely makes eye contact, she doesn't

respond very often when someone calls her name, she twirls her wrists

and feet constantly, her head size has rapidly grown over the last 2

months, she has no desire to sit up (she can though so she is still

meeting milestones), she is obsessed with lights ceiling fans and

televisions, she does not seem very interested in other babies or

animals, she does not like when I try to hold her hands to teach her to

wave or clap. She also had major reflux problems at 3 months which

helped lead to the plagio since she refused tummy time and would push

back even when we tried to sit her up on our laps. She has received no

treatment other than our initial appt with CT. I did not even know that

we should be doing exercises for the tort or take her to therapy for

it. I feel like her autism signs have just suddenly appeared.

Conveniently since the Plagio started. I followed the babywise schedule

which had her sleeping through the night at 6 weeks. She has been a

very good sleeper since 6 weeks which also contributed to the Plagio.

She still sleeps between 14 and 18 hours a day at 6 months. She doesn't

seem to have sensory issues other than that she like to hold soft

materials when she sleeps, but I think that is pretty normal. Because

we were trying to keep her off of her back at 4 months, we bought her a

jumperoo and an exersaucer. She would refuse to sit in them unless the

tv was on. I would try everything to get her to play without the tv and

she would just scream. Tummy time was impossible because she would just

roll right over to her back. She would almost suffocate herself on a

boppy pillow during tummy time. So the jumperoo and exersaucer just

seemed to make sense. After I started noticing signs of autism, I did

research on the causes. It seems like A LOT of babies with plagio and

tort have signs of autism. I also researched that some studies show

that too much exposure to the tv may contribute to the increase in

autism over the past decade. It just seems weird that autism started to

be more common when pediatricians suggested sleeping babies on their

backs. Since doing all of this research, I have no longer offered the

television, and my husband and I do not even have it on at all until

she goes to bed for the night. Since she is 6 months now, she is too

big for her sleep positioner but she does still sleep on her side or

stomach (on her own) so she is still pretty much off of the back of her

head 24 hours a day. I keep her sitting up or I hold her all day to

keep her from laying back. We do sometimes have long car rides though.

Friends and family think it is not an issue since she does smile. The

problem is that I know my baby and she does not smile nearly as much as

she once did. I really feel that her plagio and tort are connected to

these early signs of autism. I would like to know if there are any

parents out there of children 3 or older who had plagio issues and do

not show signs of autism. Also, are there any parents who decided not

to get the helmet? I have read that it can bruise the brain. Maybe the

helmets contribut to something? If there are parents of older children

who opted not to do the helmet, how does your child's head look now? Did

it correct itself? Do they have any semmetry problems like their ears

not lining up? I am needing to make a decision on the corrective helmet

ASAP since my daughter is 6 1/2 months and I know that it will take a

while to get it as well. Time is running out if we want to have the

best results from the helmet since she is getting to be older and her

head will not be as easy to transform. Please help me understand what

is happening to my baby.

Thank you,

first time mom and new to the group