As many of you know, Silas has had some gross motor delays and he has been followed by an awesome early intervention team. We decided to have him seen by a neurologist at Children's Hospital at the beginning of August due to tightness in his lower extremities and toe standing, combined with these ongoing motor delays. The neurologist, Omar Khawja, recommended Silas have an MRI in order to rule out white matter damage or a tethered spinal cord. We had the MRI done in September. The radiologist's initial report found that "the degree of myelination in the brain is mildly delayed". Omar said that these findings were consistent with Silas' increased muscle tone and he recommended continuing with physical therapy as the appropriate course of treatment.
We saw Omar last week for follow-up. He said that upon reading the MRI himself, he didn't agree with the radiologist's interpretation of a delayed myelination finding. He said the part of the brain the radiologist was referring to isn't fully myelinated in some kids until age 2, so he wouldn't consider Silas to have delayed myelination right now. Upon exam, he observed that Silas' fine motor skills have caught up to age-appropriate levels. The hypertonicity that he has had in his legs for months has gone away, and he thought this is probably because Silas started standing a few weeks ago and his legs have had a chance to loosen up. He commented several times on what a focused, cooperative, bright, and happy little boy Silas is. We will see Omar again in 6 months just to check in, and hopefully we will be all done with (this one last) specialist in the spring!
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