Today we welcomed a nearly 3 year old little girl and her family back to Snowdrop for her fourth assessment. She had suffered a cerebral infarction, leukomalacia and HIE, but she also has retinal dysplasia which curtails visual ability markedly. For those of you who are unfamiliar with these terms, please allow me to explain.
(1). Cerebral Infarction. - This refers to a loss of brain tissue in an area, caused by lack of oxygen.
(2). Leukomalacia. - This is loss of white matter, (the myelin sheath which surrounds axons and enables the electro-chemical signal created in the neuron to travel at great speed).
(3). Hypoxic Ishaemic Encephalopathy, (HIE) is a type of brain damage that occurs when an infant's brain doesn't receive enough oxygen and blood. So really it is another way of framing an infarction.
Even though she has retinal dyslpasia, she made eye contact, pulled my glasses off, (a favourite pastime of children) and I noticed her follow my wife, who was a short distance away. Auditory cognition is now above age level with her previous sound sensitivity having been resolved. Her tactile processing issues also seem to be resolved and socially she is an absolute delight, performing at near age level. Such a friendly, playful little twee, it is so nice to see her making progress.
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