Child with Balance Issues, need help!

[2angelsinheaven]

Little one in the house Madison who will be 4yrs old Monday was just DX'd with Balance Issues by the lady who was sent out to evaluate her for preschool. It all makes sense, she is always moving, can't focus, still can't determine certain numbers/letters, etc. Anyone else have similar problems and if so what activities, games, toys have you used to try to build balance.

 

[Earstou]

When we took my ds to his preschool screening at age three, we were told his balance was "underdeveloped". I always wondered why I had to rescue him in ballpits.
They told me it would develope on its own eventually, and the only advice they had was to play catch with him (he had trouble catching a ball because of his balance). Because of his other issues and the fact that I also have trouble with my balance, I never really tried anything else. He learned to ride a bike without training wheels at 8 and at 11 I can't tell if he still has problems.
My pediatrician didn't think it was bad enough to get any help. But in 3rd grade, his PE teacher had him come in daily for 1/2 hour of playing catch with another student. He still isn't terrific at catching, but is passable!
We finally discovered he has Asperger syndrome, which can include balance problems. He was very hard to work with when he was younger! He also has ADHD.

 

[LMC]

OMG!!! We have these issues. We have been diagnosed w/ vestibular occular dysfunction (which the PT described as your central control and if it is off, everything is off...balance, diet, stomach problems, motion sickness, etc). Getting PT is the answer and I would recommend that you get in as soon as you can and get as much of it as you can. Sometimes you can get through the school system, or a state program if your insurance won't pay for it. We have never been able to get insurance coverage because they consider it a developmental problem. My DS also could not recoginze colors, shapes, or letters until he was 5, 6, & 7 years old , depending on the task. I started working w/ him when he was 4 and it took until he was 7 before he could recognize a letter and name it from memory and a little longer before he could write it from memory. He could not even do something as simple as COPY a letter! It was so frustrating!!!! Some of these issues are due to visual perception/processing/memory skills, my DS also has been diagnosed with eye teaming and tracking problems and spatial difficulties. AT age 9 he still can not tie shoes, ride a two wheeled bike, play baseball very well (or any sport), etc, etc, You probably know what I mean.
Any ???'s please post.

 

[pwcarlson]

My DD was born with no balance at all. She has Usher Syndrome which affects Hearing, balance and Vision. Her ears are not connected to the brain at all. The vision part is Retinitus pigmentosis. If she is in a totally dark room she can not tell you if she is upside down or right side up. She needed to learn about that visually and not thru clues from her body. Anyway, we were totally in the dark about what do to do about the balance. She did not sit until she was a year and walk unassisted until age 2. She started having PT from the age of 8 months until 4. Most of the time she was in preschool she wore weighted vest, and weights on each wrist and ankle. That not only strenghten the muscles but gave her feedback on where her body was in space.
Some of the 'homework' we did was walking in the grass barefoot, walking thru the snow, or sand on the beach. Catching a ball is a toughy but they can learn how to do it. My DD still does not like wading in lakes or oceans. The shifting sands makes it hard for her to compensate. Pools and swimming are great!!! Just make sure that they wear googles so they can keep their eyes open.

My DD learned to ride a bike, roller blade, played on a basketball, softball, soccer, and volleyball teams. Tried gymnastics but that required more balance that she could compensate for. You need to keep working and try to find the exercises that challenges them to expand their world perception.

There are some advantages to this. They never get car sick. They never have any motion sickness at all. My DD went to Space Camp run by NASA during High School. They went thru several different training exercises that were the same as the one the actual astronauts do. She had no problem at all on them. We went on the teacups once and she had our teacup going full force. I almost lost my lunch on it and had a hard time walking upright after getting off. Much to my dismay, DD skipped away like she was never on it. Even the CM running the ride was shocked.

Good Luck to all who is dealing with this. PM me if you want more info or anything else.

Pam

 

[Earstou]

Posted earlier about my son, but thought I would mention what causes my balance problems.
I have Arnold Chiari Malformation I, which is where the brain protrudes through the hole at the bottom of the skull into the spinal column. It is rare and can be hard to get diagnosed (took 13 years for me!).
It usually causes headaches, can also cause dizziness and balance problems, muscle weakness, hearing problems, vision problems, cognitive difficulties, short term memory loss, on and on. We chiarians are trying to spread the word about ACM so others can get help sooner!

 

[LMC]

earstou:
I am so glad I have read some postings here about Chiari. I have suffered from neck pain/headaches, numbness in one arm, episodes that I call "vertigo" (dizziness), etc. for about 14 years now. I'll have to ask my neurologist about it next visit. I've been told it's "tension".

 

[billwendy]

I would definately see a developmental pediatrician to medically diagnose the problem and properly direct you to therapy if needed. Your childs symptoms also sound like sensory integration dysfunction - where the brain has difficulty taking in all the info from the body, organizing it and then helping the body adapt and produce a accurate response (like balance)...therapy is work, but if done by a pediatric therapist, its also a lot of fun!!! I am a pediatric occupational therapist working at a kids hospital, and see children with these issues make great progress!!!

 

[chavezfamily]

I'm new here so please excuse me if I do this incorrectly, but wanted to reply. My daughter (3 1/2 years old) also has Chiari 1 Malformation, which does cause balance problems for her. In fact, that is one of the main reasons leading to her diagnosis. She was diagnosed at 18 months of age. There were other issues, but balance troubles were a major factor.

Incidentally, many children with chiari also have Sensory Integration Dysfunction, which can also cause some balance and other vestibular issues. Another thing to consider.

My advice to the mom with the child who has the balance issues: please see a neurologist for a neurological workup. It is painless and non-invasive. Often times, balance can be related to ear issues, vestibular, etc. but it can also signal something going on within the child's brain.

As we learned, better to be safe than sorry when you are talking about your child's health!

I hope this helps.

Loretta (mom to Zoe)

 

[chavezfamily]

P.S. Thanks to the person who originally posted about ACM. Love to hear people talking about Chiari Malformation! We do need to get the word out about this disorder.