A Week Full Of Assessments

James and I met with all of Jaden's Pre-School Teachers a couple of weeks ago ...At the meeting we went over the last 2 1/2 years of Jaden's progress through (First Steps - First Steps is a statewide early intervention system that provides services to children with developmental disabilities from birth to age 3 and their families. First Steps is Kentucky's response to the federal Infant-Toddler Program.) We were asked a ton of questions and were given a pile of paperwork to fill out before our next meeting coming up March 8th. With all that being said this week has been full of new assessments from all the teachers that will be working with Jaden coming up after his 3rd Birthday...Each Teacher has their own way of evaluating Jaden and I asked if they could come and do their assessments here at home since I knew Jaden would do better for them in his own home where he's familiar with...They all agreed to come to our home versus us having to bring him in to the school...Monday and Tuesday Jaden got to meet his new Speech Teachers and Wednesday he was assessed by a Cortical Visual Impaired Specialist (Jaden was diagnosed with Cortical Visual Impairment on his 2 year Check-Up with his Neurologist... What is CVI -  is a temporary or permanent visual impairment caused by the disturbance of the posterior visual pathways and/or the occipital lobes of the brain.  It is a condition that indicates that the visual systems of the brain do not consistently understand or interpret what the eyes see. The cause of CVI are ischemia ("hypoxia": a lack of sufficient oxygen in the body cells or blood; "ischemia": not enough blood supply to the brain), developmental brain defects, head injury, hydrocephalus. This happened to Jaden when he was just only 4 days old as a result of a Major Brain Hemorrhage graded a 4 on the right side of his brain and a 3 on the left side. Jaden really showed off for these nice Teachers...He was such a big boy while they were working with him...One Teacher would work while the other teacher took notes and wrote everything down..... Amazing to know how and what all they were looking for, just by watching me do our normal routine throughout the morning our play time and therapy time we do together each day and also just by sitting and playing with him in the floor...he stood in his gait trainer awhile during their assessment also.....We are so anxious to see what their findings are and what they know to do to try and better our sons learning and physical abilities...Yesterday Thursday February 24th Jaden was evaluated by a bone specialist...She felt Jaden's legs and examined his back and neck...She shared with us that kids with Cerebral Palsy tend to overuse their muscles...She noticed that when Jaden tries to pick his legs up to walk he really tightens up his muscles just in order for him to initiate them to move...she ordered him to be fitted and casted for Leg braces and feet splints...Our Physical Therapists that have been following Jaden were there for his appointment and shared everything with the bone specialists about everything that Jaden has been through and how well he has started to bare weight now on both his legs and feet...This has been a BIG improvement since his Surgery in November 2010 (the Brain Cyst Surgery)...before surgery Jaden couldn't bare much weight at all on his legs and feet, he would cry in discomfort...but just in these few months post-op he has been baring more and more weight and we are hoping that with these new braces and splints he was fitted for will help him even more with learning how to walk...I shared with the nice gentleman that took us in to the casting room that you either got to love it or just sit and cry about the whole situation...He said he has been casting kids for 38 years...I'm so thankful for all these doctors, therapists, and specialist in our lives without them we would be so lost...They have helped us beyond measure with Jaden and his progress...Even though as terrible as it may seem BRACES and SPLINTS, I know it's gonna help him in some special way...another step closer to him learning how to take off on his own...We are longing for that day...As we were sitting in the waiting room, I watched a momma chase after her boy...He was running up and down the halls, she couldn't catch him...I thought in my mind just to be able to chase after your son what a blessing that he can just be able to walk...I made the comment to her, Wow I can't wait till Jaden will take off like your sweet boy and I'll have to go running after him, she looked at me and smiled, she said his day will come... she went on to say he didn't learn how to walk until he was 3 and that he wore special braces and splints...You know that gives me hope...hope that someday soon Jaden's gonna take right off walking...Amazing how the Lord places people in our lives just at the right moment...I was sitting there silently in my mind asking God why braces, why splints??????????? Just another something else for people to stare and look at...but then I was re-reminded that all this is a good thing...Just another way that one day will lead to the Lord giving us the desires of our hearts...Looking forward to meeting Jaden's PT and OT Teachers this up-coming week...Will post all his assessments when they are all completed...

the Door to the Casting Room...Didn't know we were
gonna be sized for braces at his clinic appt so I
didn't bring my camera...So thankful my phone takes Pictures...
they are not the best quality but thankful that we got them...

I just knew this was going to be a horrible ordeal...Jaden hates
strangers touching his legs and feet...He thinks that they are looking
for IV's and it really scares him...well lets just say that Mr. Max
knew the trick...He's been casting kids legs for 38 years...He sat me down
to fill out paperwork while Aunt Na Na held him in her lap...He never said one word to Jaden...
He placed that long sock on Jaden's leg and dipped the casting material in that warm wax and
began wrapping it all around Jaden's foot and up his little leg...he than began
to massage it all into the right places...

Jaden never cried...He loved that man rubbing that warm
casting on his legs...I guess he thought we had taken him in for Massage
Therapy or something because he wasn't scared one bit...

after the casting molded around his legs he
took a small special knife and cut it all back off...We got to pick through
several different colors and themes for Jaden's braces...
I'll post pictures of his new LEGS when they come in
in about 3 weeks...Mr. Max shared with us when we were
all finished that he has learned through the years that
kids do so much better when some strange man sitting in front of them
don't talk.....so that's why he never says  a word to the little kids and
it always does the trick with a successful tear free casting!!!!!

We are so proud of Jaden....He has been such a big boy this week...

Please help us pray for our up-coming meeting March 8th with the School Board and Special Needs Pre-School Teachers...We will find out at this meeting if they will allow Jaden to continue Home-Bound Services (Therapy & Teaching) or if he will have to go 4 days a week to school....We have been praying the Lords will......The problem with going there either for Morning School or Afternoon School is Jaden's meds schedule and also his feeding schedule...At either session he will have to have meds given and also a feed since he is still on 4 hour feeds.....Help us pray PLEASE!!!!!