[kizibits]

My daughter had a direct connection between eating and speaking, as well. Hers was related to Pierre Robin Sequence and almost went undiagnosed. Her jaw was a little small and recessed, but not so much that most people would notice it. I noticed it, though, and asked my pediatrician for a consult to an ENT specialist who had a great reputation with jaw distractions. My pediatrician predicted that we wouldn't be offered the surgery, and indeed, the ENT initially stated that he didn't think her case was significant enough to warrant it, but then... he did a full exam of her oral and nasal cavities and discovered that she had an undiagnosed sub-mucal cleft palette. Combined with the small jaw that equated to Pierre Robin Sequence. Added to that was the smallness of her throat, the normal size of her tongue, and the high risk she was at for choking and he determined that she actually was a prime candidate for the surgery.

There were three stages to it so far--removal of her tonsils and lower adenoids in one procedure, breaking her jaw and inserting the screws to lengthen it in another procedure, and removal of the hardware in a third procedure. We'll go back in a year or so for the repair of the cleft palette.

Since accomplishing the first three stages we have seen a tremendous improvement in her. She now eats just about anything and has become very verbal. We still can't understand a lot of what she is saying, but that is gradually improving, as well.

My experience with this situation has taught me that if I have any concerns about my daughter's health, that I do not settle for just the first opinion or two that I get. I make sure to get several opinions and to demand thorough investigations of my concerns. It's all too easy for something to be missed just because it's not obvious, so I make sure we check out every detail.

My daughter also has significant SI issues, but none seem to be orally connected. We will be seeing a neurologist in a few weeks to review the findings of her MRI which showed necrotic damage to a section of the parietal lobe which controls sensory processing (a result of several mini-strokes she suffered at delivery) and should have a better understanding of it all then. Again, I had to push for the MRI, though. Don't hesitate to ask for tests you think might help you to figure out what is going on with your little one.

Jeana