Aiden was born 5 weeks premature on November 18, 2006. 

He had severe plagiocephaly with a cephalic index of 116. It was so bad that his head literally went flat right behind his right ear.  In late May 2007 he was fitted with a helmet from our local provider, Orthotic & Prosthetic Lab, Inc.  He did receive some initial good results:  his CI went down to 96. 

As we moved into August/September/October there came no more improvement. At one of our visits the ortho (one of three we saw alternately) pointed to the growth chart and said, “You can't expect much improvement at his age." Since he still looked really bad, the clinician agreed to put him into a second helmet. He was fitted for this second helmet in early November 2007 and what a disaster that one turned out to be. It was such an ill fit that we actually questioned if maybe there had been an accidental switch in molds. It rotated on his head, pinched his ears, covered his eyes, caused red spots and required numerous additional trips for adjustments. It was so loose that Aiden could actually take it off without even opening the Velcro. At his appointment on January 3, 2008, the clinician pronounced him "graduated," and said to "just keep the hair longer, don't give him a buzz cut." We tried to keep the helmet on him for at least another appointment with the ortho, but Aiden would have none of it and the helmet simply came off as soon as it was put on him. 

So, January and February went by and our hearts would just break when we would look at his little head that was still so terribly misshapen.  In early March, we took a leap of faith and contacted Cranial Technologies in Oakbrook, Ill. Ginny, the therapist, looked at his pictures and agreed that he could benefit from the DOC Band. So, on March 31, 2008, with the help of Grandpa, we set out on our first trip to Oakbrook—350 miles away. 

On April 14, at 16 months of age, he received his DOC Band. We traveled to this appointment and all appointments, except for one, via Angel Flight. (Thank you Oakbrook staff for letting us know about Angel Flight and their wonderful program!)

Ginny took her time to make sure the helmet was a perfect fit from the start. Aiden never had red spots and we did not have to make any unscheduled trips. He wore his DOC Band until the middle of August and the improvements are remarkable—we jokingly say his odd corners have been "knocked off." Before the DOC Band, he had angles everywhere and now he has rounded out beautifully. Is he "perfect"? No, we did not expect that given his age when we started the DOC Band, but he has a nicely rounded little boy head. I doubt that anyone not familiar with plagiocephaly would notice.

And—HE IS WEARING A BUZZ CUT that looks absolutely adorable on him.

With our sincerest thanks,
Aiden's Family (Oakbrook, Ill.)