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| Oh, they think they're sooooo funny. Did they really think there was any way I was letting them buy all the chips they put in the cart??? |
One of the two main reasons we had decided to aggressively pursue palate expansion was to optimize function of the pituitary gland. Anatomically, it is cradled in a skull bone that is directly affected by a narrow mouth. According to Dr. Weston Price, this compression results in the decreased ability of the gland to function properly resulting in many things we commonly see with our children.
Pretty much everything on our list has some roots here; growth, intellect, hormone production, and another that I was very interested in - Nocturnal Enuresis; bedwetting.
Continence during the day is one thing - anyone with children knows the potty training gig. We allow the child to move through a process that ultimately teaches them to identify the need to use the toilet and then void. Night-time incontinence is different, and until I started reading Price's work I simply thought it was because the child was asleep and didn't realize they needed to void.
Not so.
The hormone arginine vasopressin is naturally produced in a circadian rhythm by the hypothalamus and stored in the pituitary gland. Until the gland has produced sufficient levels of this hormone, the child's brain isn't sending the correct signals. (Just a side note, I can't help but notice all of the discussion about neurotypical kids and night time continence. I firmly believe since we've been on this path with Lucas that our western diet is creating smaller and more maladaptive bone structures. Dr. Price outlines it perfectly in his research. Might this be the key to night time continence for neuro typical kids as well? And now, that we are generally seeing kids begin with orthodontics around age 7, is there a correlation between expansion and night time continence in them as well?)
When we started the expansion process, Lucas was still in pull ups for sleeping. We discontinued them about 3 months ago because Lucas was continent 4-5 nights during the week. As of late he was fully continent at night but would wake very early wiggling around because he had to go to the bathroom.
Last night I was startled to wake at 3 a.m. with Lucas standing next to my bed. I asked him what was wrong and he said "I have to go to the bathroom." So, in my sleep induced coma - mother of the year emerged - and I said, "OK, go." And he did. Fully emptied his bladder, (washed his hands!) and went back to bed.
Under no circumstances can I call this a coincidence. It has methodically been improving since we completed the expansion...and although our daily program has increased significantly with the addition of a respiratory excellence component, his speech is beginning to explode. All parts of speech evident in sentences that are 4-6 words in length, prepositions, articles, descriptors...all there.
There are so many approaches to our children, and when they are looked at in isolation, they would drive us insane trying to account for everything. For example- trouble with balance? PT. Trouble with speech, ST. Trouble with fm control, OT. Trouble with ADL's, OT, Behavior mod. Trouble with behavior, Psychologist. Trouble reading? Special Ed. And then, as if that isn't enough - we get even more specific - The PT believes in NDT, the OT wants the child to focus on a sensory integrative program, the Speech therapist wants oral motor expercises, Special Ed thinks the key is to slow things down (don't get me started on that one) and to focus on one thing at a time, and on and on.
As an OT and now a mother, I wholeheartedly believe this approach is missing the boat. The key is not to breakdown skills to the very smallest component and put together plans for each, The goal is to look at every area of need and figure out where they all intersect - because they do. Optimally, we can use the "Lists of what will be wrong" at some point in the future to draw those conclusions BEFORE the need becomes evident. This allows us to put real programs in place that become part of the child's day - everyday - to ensure we do not see those problems emerge.
That's what we're doing so very successfully - without therapists, without special ed - without school - and without doctors.
