Tardy Update

Due to the fact of us having to cancel our internet to save money, I have not had easy access to a computer lately. Greg has wireless on his work computer, but he is only home in the mornings and late in the evening, and let me be honest I am tired in the evening and busy with Truitt in the mornings.

So I will try to post at least a few times a week, even if it just a few pictures here and there!

We have been ever so busy lately with appointments. Literally, at least 4 days out of each week in November there was some kind of appointment, and it was so draining for me. Many of the appointments were Truitt's in home therapies through Franklin County Developmental Delays. He was on the waiting list for about four months and we are now finally receiving free in home services and it is wonderful. I am so thankful for such a great organization. Especially through the winter months, it will be so nice to not have to leave our home.

The current therapies he is receiving once a month through DD (used to be MRDD) are OT(occupational), VT(vision), ST(speech) and still waiting on PT(physical). He also has a teacher that comes out once a month to play with him and help him learn new ways to play and interact in his environment.

Last Wednesday, the long awaited vision therapist came to our home to assess Truitt's sight. I was so anxious to meet her and hear how she thinks Truitt is doing visually. She brought some items that they use to test what the child is able to see. The first thing she showed him was a cow print place mat. It was primarily white with seven differently shaped black spots. When Truitt looked at it, he looked from one spot to another studying their different shapes. This was incredible! The therapist was very happy he differentiated the shapes and didn't just see them as a blur. Most children with CVI, which she does think Truitt has, see the cow print as a blur. So he was off to a great start!

She also showed him objects with lots of color and detail, which was too over stimulating for him. He preferred black and white objects with very little detail. A very common trait of Cortical Vision Impairment. She also informed me that CVI often does get better over time, and almost every child with a brain injury similar to Truitt's has CVI. It is inevitable. She was overall very pleased with Truitt's vision skills and thinks he is showing wonderful signs the he is progressing with his vision development.

She currently thinks his vision is equivalent to that of a two to three months old. So for now black and white toys, things with little detail, bright toys and lights are what he can see best. As he continues to improve his vision, assuming and hoping he will, he will start to see more detail and bright colors without becoming overwhelmed with them. We will also work on him looking at people's faces. Right now, he will make some eye contact and study a face, which is GREAT. But, because our faces have so much detail and every one looks different it is very overwhelming for him still, which is why he tends to avoid it.

I feel she gave me some very good information on what he is seeing and how we can help him to progress. He definitely can see, he just has some preferences and delays for now. I can battle that.