Re: Right-sided Hemiparesis

[Guest guest]

My 13 year old son was just dx'd with AS and the Neuropsych mentioned in her report that there is a marked difference in his strength with the right side being weaker.  He is a lefty with dysgraphia and prior to the AS dx was dx'd with dyslexia and ADD and had major speech issues when he was younger but those were corrected with speech therapy.  He is though almost a black belt in TKD and a fantastic skier so his gross motor skills are decent.  The school district has ordered PT and OT evals to determine the cause.

On Fri, Feb 25, 2011 at 11:55 AM, W <jennywatson@...> wrote:

 

Just wondered if anyone here is dealing with right-sided hemiparesis?

It seems to be associated more with cerebral palsy and stroke, more than ASD, so maybe it's just a coincidence that my son has it. It causes weakness on the right side of his body, which manifests itself as fine and gross motor skill delays and poor pencil grip. The condition is caused by a problem on the left hand side of the brain, which is the side that controls language. Sure enough, my son has speech and language delays.

Thanks,

-- Beth MassmannAlbany, NY areaVice President Crest Care Inc.Crest Care District 1 CoordinatorMembership Map and Adoption Applications Coordinatormommy to Abby, Kiki, and 2 legged son

Rainbow Bridge love: Sashawww.crest-care.netwww.xolorescueusa.org " Until you have held a tiny puppy in your arms as it kissed your face with slobbery puppy breath and felt the love, Until you have held an injured or severely ill dog in your arms and felt their pain and until you have looked into the eyes of a tired aging senior dog and felt their wisdom, You will never understand the life of a rescuer.

We find beauty in the most incomprehensible places and the otherwise homely faces. It is our gift to see beyond the dirt, terror, sadness and defeat and find the true soul that lies within. We are Rescue. "   Kathie Sullivan-Parkes, Topsham, VT

[Guest guest]

Yes, my 7-year-old son has right-sided hemiparesis and has for more than 4

years. He has all the delays that you listed. We've always associated his delays

with the large congenital non-malignant brain tumor found in his left thalamus

and removed through craniotomy 3 years ago. This was why we were hesitant to

pursue an asperger's diagnosis until recently.

Have you seen a neurologist? I'll be interested to hear if others have

experienced hemiparesis as well.

Carolyn in Maine

>

> Just wondered if anyone here is dealing with right-sided hemiparesis?

>

> It seems to be associated more with cerebral palsy and stroke, more than ASD,

so maybe it's just a coincidence that my son has it. It causes weakness on the

right side of his body, which manifests itself as fine and gross motor skill

delays and poor pencil grip. The condition is caused by a problem on the left

hand side of the brain, which is the side that controls language. Sure enough,

my son has speech and language delays.

>

> Thanks,

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

I'm confused as to how the OT and PT would show the cause of his hemiparesis. I

would imagine it would just show the effects of it. An MRI would be good to see

if there is something physically wrong with that side of the brain. Ours cost

just over $1K, but the insurance paid 80%. A pediatric neurologist scheduled

that for us.

This might be a dumb question, but do you think he is really left-handed, or is

just using that hand because of weakness on the right? Our son has the opposite

issue - he seems quite ambidextrous, but insists on writing with his right hand.

I might see if the OT if she can work on his writing with both hands, and just

see which hand works best for him in the long run.

I might look into TKD - trying to find a good sport for my son (age 5).

From: Beth Massmann <crestiemommy@...>

Subject: Re: ( ) Right-sided Hemiparesis

Date: Friday, February 25, 2011, 5:13 P

My 13 year old son was just dx'd with AS and the Neuropsych mentioned in

her report that there is a marked difference in his strength with the right side

being weaker.  He is a lefty with dysgraphia and prior to the AS dx was dx'd

with dyslexia and ADD and had major speech issues when he was younger but those

were corrected with speech therapy.  He is though almost a black belt in TKD and

a fantastic skier so his gross motor skills are decent.  The school district has

ordered PT and OT evals to determine the cause.

[Guest guest]

Hi Carolyn,Yes the pediatric neurologist ordered an MRI which was clear, so I don't know why he has the hemiparesis. I found a UK site called "Hemihelp," which says hemiparesis is closely linked with cerebral palsy. A lot of the symptoms for hemiparesis they list are the same as asperger's, such as fine and gross motor skill delays, speech delays, behavioral and emotional issues, need for routine and schedules, ADHD/hyperactivity, sensory issues, etc. Didn't see anything there about poor eye contact, though, which my son has. I'm going to ask the neuropsychiatrist about hemiparesis/CP when we go in a couple of weeks. His Apserger's diagnosis is "tentative" and in some ways he doesn't seem Asperger's enough to warrant that diagnosis, e.g. he can cope with the majority of schedule changes - just has a meltdown over the odd one.

From: cjgraney <cgraney@...>Subject: ( ) Re: Right-sided Hemiparesis Date: Friday, February 25, 2011, 8:11 PM

Yes, my 7-year-old son has right-sided hemiparesis and has for more than 4 years. He has all the delays that you listed. We've always associated his delays with the large congenital non-malignant brain tumor found in his left thalamus and removed through craniotomy 3 years ago. This was why we were hesitant to pursue an asperger's diagnosis until recently.

Have you seen a neurologist? I'll be interested to hear if others have experienced hemiparesis as well.

Carolyn in Maine

>

> Just wondered if anyone here is dealing with right-sided hemiparesis?

>

> It seems to be associated more with cerebral palsy and stroke, more than ASD, so maybe it's just a coincidence that my son has it. It causes weakness on the right side of his body, which manifests itself as fine and gross motor skill delays and poor pencil grip. The condition is caused by a problem on the left hand side of the brain, which is the side that controls language. Sure enough, my son has speech and language delays.

>

> Thanks,

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

I find this interesting...my son has always had motor skill delays and poor

muscle tone...I never really notice one side over the other. However, he writes

left handed and does everything else with his right now. He used both forever

until I worked with the OT to have him choose a writing hand when he was 6. I

was always so confused on which hand he favored. One minute it was right, the

next it was left. I think he has chosen his eating hand within the last year.

He now uses his right but was using his left. Just find it funny he does

everything with his right hand but writes with his left. I have always tried

not to push him one way or the other, but finally realized I had to if we wated

to work on stregthening his writing skills

>

> From: Beth Massmann <crestiemommy@...>

> Subject: Re: ( ) Right-sided Hemiparesis

>

> Date: Friday, February 25, 2011, 5:13 P

>

> My 13 year old son was just dx'd with AS and the Neuropsych mentioned in

her report that there is a marked difference in his strength with the right side

being weaker.  He is a lefty with dysgraphia and prior to the AS dx was dx'd

with dyslexia and ADD and had major speech issues when he was younger but those

were corrected with speech therapy.  He is though almost a black belt in TKD and

a fantastic skier so his gross motor skills are decent.  The school district has

ordered PT and OT evals to determine the cause.

>

[Guest guest]

The school district is trying to rule out PT or OT issues as this is the cheaper option for them.  The neuropsych did ask for them to be done first and if there does not seem to be an issue then she wants him to see a pediatric neurologist and possibly an mri done.  

I do think he is truly a lefty.  My husband and his mom are both leftys as well.  He has always done everything left handed, never even wanted to try right handed.  One PT in the past did try to get him to do things right handed and he basically refused bit what he did do was so much worse than his left handed writing which is bad.  I may have them try again but he does very minimal handwriting, most of his work is done on a laptop with typing or speech recognition software.

TKD has been a huge saving grace for my son.  He gets a huge boost from performing a form correctly, he gets to work with the little kids and most of the time he is high rank in class so he leads the class.  It has been wonderful for his focus issues and he lives the discipline of it.  Years ago they told us to try TKD or let him play the drums, we opted for TKD LOL  Hopefully he will make blackbelt this spring.

On Sat, Feb 26, 2011 at 3:13 PM, <jennywatson@...> wrote:

 

I'm confused as to how the OT and PT would show the cause of his hemiparesis. I would imagine it would just show the effects of it. An MRI would be good to see if there is something physically wrong with that side of the brain. Ours cost just over $1K, but the insurance paid 80%. A pediatric neurologist scheduled that for us.

This might be a dumb question, but do you think he is really left-handed, or is just using that hand because of weakness on the right? Our son has the opposite issue - he seems quite ambidextrous, but insists on writing with his right hand. I might see if the OT if she can work on his writing with both hands, and just see which hand works best for him in the long run.

I might look into TKD - trying to find a good sport for my son (age 5).

From: Beth Massmann <crestiemommy@...>

Subject: Re: ( ) Right-sided Hemiparesis

Date: Friday, February 25, 2011, 5:13 P

My 13 year old son was just dx'd with AS and the Neuropsych mentioned in her report that there is a marked difference in his strength with the right side being weaker.  He is a lefty with dysgraphia and prior to the AS dx was dx'd with dyslexia and ADD and had major speech issues when he was younger but those were corrected with speech therapy.  He is though almost a black belt in TKD and a fantastic skier so his gross motor skills are decent.  The school district has ordered PT and OT evals to determine the cause.

-- Beth MassmannAlbany, NY areaVice President Crest Care Inc.Crest Care District 1 CoordinatorMembership Map and Adoption Applications Coordinatormommy to Abby, Kiki, and 2 legged son

Rainbow Bridge love: Sashawww.crest-care.netwww.xolorescueusa.org " Until you have held a tiny puppy in your arms as it kissed your face with slobbery puppy breath and felt the love, Until you have held an injured or severely ill dog in your arms and felt their pain and until you have looked into the eyes of a tired aging senior dog and felt their wisdom, You will never understand the life of a rescuer.

We find beauty in the most incomprehensible places and the otherwise homely faces. It is our gift to see beyond the dirt, terror, sadness and defeat and find the true soul that lies within. We are Rescue. "   Kathie Sullivan-Parkes, Topsham, VT

[Guest guest]

I think I'll check out " Hemihelp " as it had never occurred to me to look into

hemiparesis as a diagnosis in and of itself. I'd always thought of it more as a

symptom (and in our case, it very well may be).

As far as sports are concerned, my son has always had quite a hard time with

being involved in sports. I believe this is due to his delays, group dynamics,

and the fact that he fatigues easily. The only sport he looks forward to is

baseball possibly because there's a bunch of standing around and the t-ball he's

participated in hasn't been very competitive. We're very active people

otherwise, but we just know not to push him too much and try to keep things

non-competitive.

Anyhow, thanks again for the info about hemihelp.

Carolyn in Maine

>

> >

>

> > Just wondered if anyone here is dealing with right-sided hemiparesis?

>

> >

>

> > It seems to be associated more with cerebral palsy and stroke, more than

ASD, so maybe it's just a coincidence that my son has it. It causes weakness on

the right side of his body, which manifests itself as fine and gross motor skill

delays and poor pencil grip. The condition is caused by a problem on the left

hand side of the brain, which is the side that controls language. Sure enough,

my son has speech and language delays.

>

> >

>

> > Thanks,

>

> >

>

> >

>

> >

>

[Guest guest]

,My daughter (who also has Asperger's) developed left-sided hemiparesis several years ago after having a bad seizure from meningitis. It wasn't a stroke, and she doesn't have CP. Some types of seizures occur only or mainly at night. Is it possible that he had a seizure that wasn't witnessed?The good news is that if you can get him into at least weekly OT, PT and ST at your local children's hospital (instead of the little bit they give at school), he could make great progress. Deborah was completely paralyzed on her left side after that seizure, and she is now able to use her left hand and arm functionally in many activities. She is also learning how to walk again with KAFO's and crutches or parallel bars. You can check out her story and progress at http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/deborahmesdag--- In , "W" <jennywatson@...> wrote:Just wondered if anyone here is dealing with right-sided hemiparesis?It seems to be associated more with cerebral palsy and stroke, more than ASD, so maybe it's just a coincidence that my son has it. It causes weakness on the right side of his body, which manifests itself as fine and gross motor skill delays and poor pencil grip. The condition is caused by a problem on the left hand side of the brain, which is the side that controls language. Sure enough, my son has speech and language delays. Thanks,

[Guest guest]

Hi ,My mother has epilepsy, so I guess it's within the realm of possibility that he has some kind of seizure disorder. Is there a test for that?His hemiparesis is so mild. The only symptoms prior to testing, were obvious speech delays, weird pencil grip, and seeming a bit gawky and clumsy while running,hopping, playing with a ball, etc. I am taking him to a center that offers all the services you suggest. ST has started; he's in the middle of OT eval; haven't met the PT yet. Hoping the school can help me with all this, as each copay is $30 - it adds up fast. Just wondered if anyone here is dealing with right-sided hemiparesis?It seems to be associated more with cerebral palsy and stroke, more than ASD, so maybe it's just a coincidence that my son has it. It causes weakness on

the right side of his body, which manifests itself as fine and gross motor skill delays and poor pencil grip. The condition is caused by a problem on the left hand side of the brain, which is the side that controls language. Sure enough, my son has speech and language delays. Thanks,