My Big Brother, Blocks, and Balls—All That Really Matter At One

Keeping up with his older brother is about all Soren has on his mind these days—along with a reliable pacifier, bouncing balls and cuddling. Now a year old, the blue-eyed Soren shows no signs of the cranial remolding he began 7 months ago due to a severe case of plagiocephaly. The birth process, position in the womb or an infant's preferred sleeping position can be the cause of this type of asymmetrical head shape. A soft bone structure can also be a factor, as was the case with Soren.

"Initially, we tried a head-ring to help reshape his head, but Soren wouldn't keep still—he's always been very active and strong," explains his mother, Lannette. Soren's primary physician referred them to a plastic surgeon, who recommended they see SPOT's staff and have Soren fitted with a cranial remolding orthosis. Soren was fitted with a STARband orthosis, which stands for Symmetry Through Active Remolding. This lightweight, plastic and foam helmet or band was made from a cast impression. The foam lining was modified over time to allow for growth in the areas of depression or flattening.

The band allowed Soren to sleep in any position but kept pressure off of the flat spot. Soren began treatment when he was four-months-old and wore his band for fifteen weeks. Correction typically takes place in 8-16 weeks if infants begin treatment between four and seven months. Older infants may require longer treatment since head growth slows after they turn one.

An easy-going baby with a gentle nature, Soren adjusted well to wearing the helmet. "I was worried at first because he had to wear it through the heat of summer, but we followed the directions SPOT gave us exactly," recalls Lannette. Her advice, to other parents who have a child with plagiocephaly, is to know their options, be diligent in following the helmet-wearing guidelines, and find a practitioner they value. "The way the SPOT staff treated me and my children was so caring—it was obvious that they wanted to make life better for us," says Lannette.

"From knowing others' experiences, I believe the outcome would not have been the same if I had to have gone somewhere else," says Lannette, who relied on SPOT's staff to acquire Medicaid funding. As Lannette watches Soren knock down his 3 ½ year-old brother's tower of blocks and then listens to them giggle, she is again reminded of how grateful she feels. "Soren is a blessing; and [prosthetist] Jim Liston, he's a true miracle worker."

[Soren was fitted with Orthomerica's STARband cranial remolding orthosis]

By Peta Owens-Liston
February 2005

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