John's Special Needs
What is different about John?
He is legally blind.
His eyes do not open or close as well as normal. They also do not move in some directions. So he has to move his head instead to look around.
It is hard for him to move his mouth, both to make words that we can understand, and to eat.
It is hard for him to move the rest of his body, especially his feet and hands.
He crawls to get around and does great. He loves to use his hands to play with toys and explore the world. He also loves to use the vision he does have to look at everything. He is intelligent. He likes to laugh and play just like all the rest of us do!
We don't know exactly why John appears to have so many conditions, usually not found together.
John has several diagnoses. Here are some of them:
- septo-optic dysplasia
- congenital fibrosis of the extraocular muscles
- Marcus Gunn jaw wink ptosis
- cerebral palsy, pending
- other syndromes, pending
We are challenged to find ways to help John move, and to find ways to allow him to communicate and interact with the world.
Elsa, Nama, Leah and Honey