Charlie McAllister

Baby – Charlie McAllister

Parents – Sharon and William McAllister

Location – Glasgow

Charlie wearing his new STARband helmet

Diagnosis - significant brachycephaly (with mild plagiocephaly)

Age treatment started – 6 months

Age treatment finished – 18 months

It’s just over a year since 18 month-old Charlie McAllister began STARband helmet treatment to correct a severely flattened head.

Baby Charlie came through the treatment with flying colours, and his parents are thrilled to have a healthy, perfectly normal looking baby.

But as mum Sharon recalls, ignorance about plagiocepahly or ‘flat head syndrome’ could have meant things turned out very differently. Charlie’s life-enhancing treatment only came about after a six-month struggle to get his condition properly diagnosed.

Sharon said: “I saw that Charlie’s head was unusually flat on the right hand side as soon as he was born. After about three weeks, his head shape had not got any better, so I mentioned it to my health visitor. She told me that when he started sitting up more, his head would round out. I just took her word for it.”

Sharon’s relief was short-lived, however. She noticed that Charlie had a tendency to hold his head to one side, which she felt could be contributing to his problems. She went to see a cranial osteopath, who diagnosed torticollis -  a tightening of the neck muscles which is common among plagiocepahly sufferers. A course of treatment corrected the problem, and the family looked forward to moving on.

But by four and half months, Charlie’s head shape had got a lot worse. It was now flat right across the back, and looked abnormally wide. An anxious Sharon took Charlie to her GP and was told she needed a hospital appointment.
“We got a letter back saying it would be 17 weeks before Charlie would get his appointment to see a doctor,” said Sharon. “I tried to get moved up the list – but I was told that there was really nothing to worry about as all babies have funny shaped heads.

“I was furious. This wasn’t about me acting like some neurotic mother. I have a ten year-old daughter and her head is perfectly fine. Charlie’s was simply not normal.”

It was only when Sharon began doing her own internet research that she stumbled across literature relating to plagiocephaly and brachycephaly. The discovery was a revelation to the concerned mum. At last, Sharon knew what she was dealing with.

“Just knowing the name of the condition was a big step forward,” she recalled. “Finally, I could do something about it.”

Sharon found out that simple repositioning techniques can often greatly improve head shape with very young babies, by avoiding unnecessary pressure on the flattened areas. Unfortunately, Charlie was already too old for this treatment to be effective.

Undeterred, Sharon looked into an alternative option known as cranial remoulding. This involves use of a custom-made band or helmet – known as STARband– which allows the baby’s head to gradually reshape as it grows.
Sharon got in email contact with orthotist Steve Mottram, an expert in STARband treatment. After examining photos of Charlie, Steve told Sharon he was confident that STARband could achieve positive results.

Sharon launched a fundraising campaign to pay for Charlie’s treatment. And thanks to his mum’s drive and determination, Charlie was fitted with his new helmet just a few weeks later.

The results were almost immediate, and astonished Sharon and her husband William.

“After just a few weeks, we could see the back of Charlie’s head starting to round out,” recalled Sharon. “Charlie coped really well with the treatment too. The helmet didn’t seem to bother him - he never tried to pull it off!”

After 17 weeks of marked improvement, Charlie had outgrown his original helmet, and his parents chose to go for a second helmet – optimistic that further gains could be achieved. The decision paid-off, resulting in additional improvement in headshape and measurements.

By May 2007, the treatment was all over. Charlie’s head had grown along his normal centile, and all this growth had been directed to greatly improving his head shape.
 
Front to back, Charlie’s head had grown by 20mm. His head width is now 85% of the length, compared to 93% at the start of the treatment. Normal head width is 78% to 83% of the length – confirming that Charlie now has a normal head shape. Charlie’s ears had been misaligned by 9mms – this is now just 1.5mms.

Sharon said: “We are just so happy with Charlie’s lovely round head shape. To look at him now, you would not know that anything had ever been wrong. Going for the helmet therapy was the best thing we could have done for our son.”

The relieved mum is now keen to spread the word about STARband – to alert more families to the benefits of the treatment, and to combat the ignorance that still surrounds plagiocephaly.

She said: “Charlie was in helmet treatment for one year exactly – but every minute was worthwhile. I’d advise any parents thinking of going for helmet treatment to just do it. You won’t regret it, and when you start to see the lovely round head your baby has, it makes it all worthwhile.”