Skittle Moons

We're sitting with Mack's therapist the other day discussing her behavior and her behavior management plan.  She now gets a "Skittle Moon" (half a skittle) each time she listens to us on the first time.  Yes, it is like a Scooby Snack.  Of course I am uncomfortable with handing her a candy every time she listens.  The doctor informed us that she feels that Mack's problems are not solely behavior based.  She doesn't really feel that an ADHD diagnosis is where we are headed.  She thinks we are dealing with a brain based disorder.  Ug.  It was weird to hear that even though we already knew it.  I have been expecting ADHD.  I have been focusing so much on her behavior that I haven't really stopped to think about what is causing it.  She made me think.

TBI.  Traumatic Brain Injury.  We've heard those words a lot lately. She has had a CT scan that showed two areas of brain injury and I never really did any research once I found that out. I usually read everything I can about those kinds of things.  The scan showed an injury in her frontal lobe and some softening of the brain.  The frontal lobe is the area of the brain where impulsivity, emotion, judgement, social, and motor function live. It totally makes sense to me now.  We have been dealing with her symptoms for so long that I never stopped to look where it is all coming from.  

Neuroplasticity refers to the ability to reshape or mold the brain.  Luckily, we have this on our side.  Mack is young and with training we will be able to help her learn the correct way to behave and in essence reshape her brain.  I think this is amazing.  We were told by her pediatrician that she would develop around her brain injury and that we would see areas where she would excel as her brain compensates for the injury.  Her personality is proof of that.  Now, we wade through the tedious process of rewarding her every time she behaves appropriately and hope to help make those behaviors more routine.


We always hope she is going to be OK.  On the outside she is just fine.  We see strange behaviors all the time that I hope will disappear so she will grow up to be a fairly "normal" kid who has no social challenges.  As it is now, she is different.  Not all the time.  Not in all groups.  When we have play dates- I can really see it.  She just behaves so differently and I'm a bit sensitive to it.  


Even though Fiona thinks it is totally unfair, I am hoping that with every Skittle Moon... we are closer to helping Mackenzie with her struggles.