Peggy
My child had the decompression surgery for Arnold Chiari 1 when she was 2 years old. She is doing remarkably well. She had a shunt put in her spine at the age of 3. She is now 7 years old and just finished the first grade with A's and B's. She is limited in what physical activities such as sports that she can do, but to look at her you would never guess that she has anything wrong with her. Good luck on your surgery.