It wasn't until we moved to Texas that we were told he had low muscle tone, but I had suspected that something was wrong for a long time. He wasn't sitting up on his own until he was almost 11 months, and he wasn't walking independently until almost 20 months. When he did start walking, it was very hard for him and he could only manage several very fast, clumsy steps at a time, and then he would fall down. His gait was awkward and he honestly looked like he was drunk. This is kind of normal for new walkers, but after a while it should go away and it never did. When we lived in Boise I had mentioned several times to our physical therapist that I was concerned about his lack of balance, and how delayed he was with sitting and walking, but she brushed it off and said his lack of balance and coordination was probably due to his ears. It still didn't sounds right to me, but what did I know? His inner ears are completely deformed, so I didn't doubt it.
After we moved to Texas and things finally calmed down, Calvin wasn't walking any better. I was a little frustrated but we had so many other things to worry about that it didn't take a priority for me. Then I got him enrolled in the Early Childhood Intervention Program here in Texas. It's very similar to the Infant and Toddler Program for the state of Idaho. They both service children with developmental delays due to Blindness, Deafness, and other disabilities.
On the first day of our assessment, the intake coordinator came with a physical therapist. I was really annoyed by this. His need for the program wasn't because of a physical delay or deformity, but because of his hearing loss. I didn't think that a physical therapist would be able to accurately assess his hearing and need for intervention.
It turned out that George is a good man and competent ECI Team member. Calvin really likes him and especially his backpack, where he always hides a sucker for him to find. On the first visit, George noticed Calvin's drunken sailor gait within 5 minutes and went to work on him. He told me that Calvin has very low muscle tone and that it's actually affecting his bone development. His feet and ankles were turned in so far he was walking on the outside edge of his big toes and that's about it. I told him he had poor balance because of his ears, and he very gently told me that no, that's not why he had poor balance. He laid Calvin on his back and lifted his legs up and let them fall. His legs fell apart in a perfect split with his ankles to the floor and it didn't even phase Calvin. He said he has poor balance and walking skills because his muscles aren't able to communicate that he's falling, or not supported.He also lifted up Calvin's shirt and asked if I had ever noticed that his rib cage flared out. I said YES! I had pointed that out several times to anyone who would listen and everyone said, "it's probably fine. It will change as he grows." What's happening is that his abdominal muscles aren't strong enough to hold his rib cage in a nice contour, so they're flaring out. The treatment for this is that we have to tape those muscles in position to support his rib cage until they are strong enough to do the job on their own. He does NOT like the tape, not even if I let him scribble on it (that usually works for band aids).
So, we went and got fitted for braces, we tape him up and we work hard! We do physical therapy every day, in addition to signing and speech therapy. It makes for a busy day and a tired baby. It's a challenge to continue to find ways to make it fun and seem like play, but Calvin is usually a good sport about it. I was so excited that we were able to get his braces in CUBS gear!! Maybe his next set will be the Saints? Either way, watch out! He's already busy enough. When those braces come off he's going to be running faster than I can catch him!
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