Well, on my first blog I mentioned a letter written on my history, so I will type it word-for-word, even though some parts are kind of embarrassing:
"Pregnancy-Unremarkable except for spotting at approx. 8 weeks.
Labor/Delivery- 7 hr. labor, progressed without difficulty. Placed on fetal monitor per hospital routine. When fully dilated, monitor read "0". Turned to R side, O2 applied, and instructed to start pushing. Fetal HR picked up by monitor at that time. Apgar scores of 7 and 9.
Birth-1 yr.- Brooke was very fussy as an infant. She would stiffen when held, or throw herself over backward. She would startle when anyone walked by or approached her. She did not sit up W/O assistance until 9 mo., and started crawling at 11 mo. Brooke was hospitalized @ 1 mo. for a staph infection [I'll just skip this part]
1-3 yrs.- Avoided eye contact. Appeared to have a "blank" or glassy look, and appeared to look around, or through a person, but not "at" them. I used to take Brooke's face in my hands, and tell her "look at Mommy's eyes." Usually she would avoid eye contact then also, or perhaps give a momentary glance. When she finally learned the concept of "color" at approx. 4 yrs., I would take her close to me and say, "What color are Mommy's eyes?", and she would look at my eyes. Since then, eye contact has improved dramatically, and I continue to "make" her look at me whenever I especially wanted her attention However, there are times when she still gets a rather indescribable "look" in her eyes- like there is no one home. She did not reach out her arms to be picked up as normal infants do. She never hugged or kissed me until she was about 3 yrs. old. I used to wrap her arms around my neck and talk to her about hugs- how good hugs felt, how Mom loves hugs, and how I love her. She isolated herself socially, and did not enjoy the company of others. She did seem to receive pleasure from being tickled or "horsey-rides". She remained very irritable and would often scream for no apparent reason, or throw tantrums over trivial matters. She would watch videos on TV for hours if allowed to, and would become very upset if not allowed to. She would always carry around a ponytail holder around with her, and twist and twirl it while she sat watching TV. In fact, this is basically the only "toy" she played with. She may have briefly engaged in some activity with other toys, but never really seemed to know what to do with them. She would appear to totally tune out the rest of the world. I remember one evening we had gone out to eat, and Brooke sat there mute the entire time, with her head thrown back and looking at the ceiling, and no one could get any response out of her. She spoke her first word at approx. 2 yr. 3 mo., which was "Cookie". From there she spoke mainly using 1-2 words, but usually would just point or scream to get what she wanted. Later, (by 3 1/2 yrs.) , she would echo back the last word if she was asked a question. If we said "What is this color?", Brooke would answer "Color." However, about the same time, we noticed she appeared to have very good rote memory. She could listen to a tape once or twice and repeat the entire tape back (including sound effects!) She seemed to parrot the words, and had very little understanding od what she was saying. Started walking at 1 1/2 yrs. Displayed poor motor coordination. Couldn't seem to decide on "handedness". Tends to use R more than L now, but still switches back and forth. At age 2, Brooke would vomit during the night or early morning, but would never cry, and I would go in he room in the morning to find her lying in her vomit. This happened several times, and when referred to pediatrician, recommended a UGI which revealed no abnormalities other than somewhat slow emptying of the stomach. Brooke would mover her bowels in her bedroom closet until approx. age 4 1/2. She had problems with nocturnal enuresis until March of this year, at which time she underwent an adenoidectomy, and has had no further problems. From age of approx. 2-4, she had several ear infections, which cleared after coarse of antibiotics.
3 yrs-present [not now present]- Brooke has become a basically happy little girl who seems to enjoy people. She continues to have problems with both fine and gross motor skills. She has difficulty hopping, skipping, and runs with body thrown forward, with arms at sides. Difficulty coloring, using scissors, unable to tie shoes, fasten buttons or snaps, and difficulty with zippers. She complains about noises hurting her ears or "bothering" her. Says things like, "I can't hear you with those birds singing so loud." Birds were chirping back in the woods. Teacher at school noted that someone was walking in the hallway with high-heeled shoes on and Brooke responded by covering he rears and walking on her tiptoes. Can't seem to filter out background noises, however at other times, appears to tune out everything. Teacher concerned that perhaps Brooke had petit mal seizures, after episode of staring or nonresponsive to verbal stimuli. Brooke had EEG done (Report enclosed). She continues to have language difficulties , answers questions inappropriately, or will shift topics and talk about something unrelated to the topic being discussed. Sentences are ofted awkward scrambled, and immature. She often has difficulty recalling names of objects. Does not seem to understand socially acceptable behavior. She does inappropriate things (belching or expelling gas) or says embarrassing things ("Hey you big fat lady!" or "Somebody farted!", for example.) Is often awkward socially but has become more sociable. Her play consists of mainly playing with a single types of toy- small figurines. She also enjoys watching TV and sometimes plays with dolls. Most of her pretend play is actually reenactments of things she has heard before, usually on TV. In fact, most of her speech appears to be delayed echolalia. Brooke becomes frustrated very easily, and reacts by screaming or crying out. She is emotionally labile, laughing one minute, and crying the next. She plunges into despair over trivial things (e.g. Her sister putting on her socks faster than her.) Se is unable to handle criticism. Her outbursts are usually stimulated by frustration. She becomes physically aggressive when frustrated- hitting, punching, kicking. She appears anxious much of the time. She has difficulty understanding what is expected of her. I have found that things most people pick up naturally need to be explained in very specific terms to Brooke. She appears to have difficulty understanding what is being said to her at times. She has difficulty with concepts-if it is not something she can see, she has a hard time understanding. She is very sensitive to other peoples' reactions to her. Often thinks people are laughing at her or making fun of her. She displays inappropriate fears, e.g. If she has a hair on her, she become hysterical, but seems oblivious to real danger. She appears to personify body parts, and acts as if they aren't a part of her own body. Says things like "My bad hand did that. I'll have to tell it to stop!" or, "My shoulder says it's too tired to eat any more."
That's everything my mom typed. I have comments for some of these, but my hand hurts. I know no one reads this stuff, but if someone would be helpful, I'd greatly appreciate it.
30 Aug 2008, 8:19 am
