I have been posting (almost) daily updates on the Facebook page but have completely forgotten to be posting them here as well, so tonight I will play catch up and date the posts that I am behind on:
November 24th -
Today Declan and I went to the Woodbury Library to go see the Woodbury Ballet put on a performance of The Nutcracker. I must admit I think I was just as excited to see the performance as the kids there. Well we lasted all but three minutes before having to leave. Declan started crying...loudly. He proceeded to bang his hand against the side of his head too (a new habit he has started very recently). He was overwhelmed and knew we were in a new place.
We were given some side-glances from other kids and parents so I decided to get up and leave with him. And as soon as we left, it was as if a switch was flipped; he was giggling away back in the car. I share this little story from today because it gives a little insight of children diagnosed with Dandy Walker. Children with Dandy Walker are often also diagnosed with Autism or at the very least they exhibit traits of autism. Also, some children with Dandy Walker have difficulty controlling their emotions.
I noticed that Declan's emotions would switch very easily months ago and mentioned it to his neurologist. Declan would go from crying out or sounding upset to giggling hysterically within seconds. His doctor explained that due to his brain malformation that the amygdala, the part of the brain that deals with emotions, certainly can be affected.
So, when you see a child out in public having a meltdown, maybe they're not just being a brat, they might be experiencing sensory overload so please be patient with them.
No comments:
Post a Comment