News coverage in San Diego

August 23, 2008

Hi all,

I just wanted to share that there was a great local news report on

Plagiocephaly and " baby helmets " on last night's news. NBC

interviewed a local San Diego family as well as staff from what

appeared to be Cranial Technologies. They did a wonderful job of

explaining why there is such an increase in babies wearing " helmets "

and discussed the basics of treatment, cost (they quoted $3600),

insurance (covering some, and not others)...

Just thought I'd share. I couldn't find the video on the local

station's website, but I did find the below blurb regarding what I

viewed:

Baby Helmets

Posted by Peggy Pico at 11:54 a.m.

Baby Helmets

It's a condition missing from many baby books. But, you may have

noticed it at your local Day- Care or at the park .. lots of babies

and toddlers wearing a foam helmet, sometimes color coordinated with

their little outfits.

The reason, about 1 in 45 infants have Plagiocephaly. It's a

condition that flattens part of the baby's head, and a custom fit

helmet is the treatment of choice.

One new mother says this about it after one of her twins was born

with a non-round head. " I have every baby book known to man and no

where in any of them does it mention anything about it. "

Occupational therapist Lynne Ball says Plagiocephaly cases started to

increase after the start of the back to sleep campaign in 1994.

" Basically when the baby is young the head is so soft that the

position of back sleeping flattens the head. " The result can be a

severely asymmetrical or misshapen head.

The problem is only aesthetic; it does not affect brain growth or

function. But there's some debate about it causing jaw, orthodontic

and vision problems later in life.

Watch NBC 7/39 news tonight at 4:30pm to see how the helmets are made

and where parents in San Diego can go for help.

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