Lexi
Today's Throwback Thursday features sweet Lexi. Known as "Gracie" when she was in our Nutrition program, Lexi has been home for six months now and is doing wonderfully! Her mom tells us that she loves to be "girly" with her sister and rough house with her brothers. She is a "Mommy's girl" but runs into Daddy's arms every night when he gets home from work. Lexi, who has Treacher Collins syndrome, is thriving in a preschool for the deaf and is a sweet, sassy, spunky 4 year old!
Let's helpTESIA find a family.
Treacher Collins Syndrom.
Underdevelopment of the bones of the face.
Jaw. Often underdeveloped and/or misaligned. Chin may also be underdeveloped. The jaw is generally short and slopes at an angle rather than being horizontally alligned with the skull
Cheek (malar) bones. Can be absent, underdeveloped or malformed.
Downward slanting of eyelids. This is mainly due to lack of support from underdeveloped bones and the cheek muscles joining to the lower jaw muscles Absent eyelashes in lower inner one third of eyelid.
Ears. Can be absent, underdeveloped or malformed (Microtia).
Unusual hairlines.
Hearing Loss. This varies greatly in severity but is usually conductive. Those born without any external ears may be able to hear with the use of bone conduction hearing aids.
Associated problems: The jaw is often underdeveloped and sloping (receeded). This, along with small nasal passages can cause breathing problems, especially at night, known as sleep apnea. In minor cases the person may breath heavily or snore, in more extreme cases a tracheostomy or other breathing equipment may be required to help the person breathe. A small, uneven jaw can also cause eating and chewing problems due to misaligned and crowded teeth. This can be helped by orthodontics and surgery. Less frequent characteristics: Cleft lip, cleft palate and heart defects. Someone with TCS should have normal intelligence. It is thought that any delay in development OF TCS people is probably due to hearing loss.
