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Symptoms are usually seen before a child is 2 years old, and sometimes begin as early as 3 months. Parents may notice that their child is delayed in reaching, and in developmental stages such as sitting, rolling, crawling, or walking.
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CP can be caused by a number of different mechanisms at various times of life, ranging from several weeks after conception, through birth, to early childhood. In the twentieth century, it was accepted that most cases of CP were due to brain injuri...
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CP can be caused by a number of different mechanisms at various times—from several weeks after conception, through birth, and into early childhood. For many years it was accepted that most cases of CP were due to brain injuries received during a t...
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By definition, the defect in cerebral function causing CP is nonprogressive. However, the symptoms of CP often change over time. Most of the symptoms of CP relate in some way to the aberrant control of muscles. To review, CP is categorized first b...
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As noted, CP has many causes, making a discussion of the genetics of CP complicated. A number of hereditary/genetic syndromes have signs and symptoms similar to CP, but usually also have problems not typical of CP. Put another way, some hereditary...
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By definition, the defect in cerebral function causing CP is nonprogressive. However, the symptoms of CP often change over time. Most of the symptoms of CP relate in some way to the aberrant control of muscles. To review, CP is categorized first b...
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CP is caused by damage to an infant's brain before, during or shortly after delivery. The part of the brain that is damaged determines what parts of the body are affected. There are a number of factors which appear to predispose a child to CP incl...
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The symptoms of CP are usually not noticeable at birth. As children develop in the first 18 months of life, however, they progress through a predictable set of developmental milestones. Children with CP will develop these skills more slowly becaus...
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Mental retardation is a condition diagnosed before age 18 that includes below-average general intellectual function, and a lack of the skills necessary for daily living.
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Mental retardation (MR) is a developmental disability that first appears in children under the age of 18. It is defined as a level of intellectual functioning (as measured by standard intelligence tests) that is well below average and results in s...
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Mental retardation (MR) is a developmental disability that first appears in children under the age of 18. It is defined as a level of intellectual functioning (as measured by standard intelligence tests ) that is well below average and results in ...
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Mental retardation is a developmental disability that first appears in children under the age of 18. It is defined as an intellectual functioning level (as measured by standard tests for intelligence quotient) that is well below average and signif...
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Mental retardation is a developmental disability that first appears in children under the age of 18. It is defined as an intellectual functioning level (as measured by standard tests for intelligence quotient) that is well below average and signif...
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Below-average intellectual abilities that are present before the age of 18 and interfere with developmental processes and with the ability to function normally in daily life (adaptive behavior). The term mental retardation is commonly used to refe...
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(Also called sociocultural or cultural-familial retardation) Mild mental retardation attributed to environmental causes and generally involving some degree of psychosocial disadvantage. The majority of persons suffering from mental retardation fal...
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Hearing loss is the total or partial inability to hear sound in one or both ears. See also: Hearing loss of aging
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Hearing loss is any degree of impairment of the ability to comprehend sound.
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Hearing loss is any degree of impairment of the ability to apprehend sound.
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Hearing impairment is the temporary or permanent loss of some or all hearing in one or both ears.
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Hearing loss is any degree of impairment of the ability to apprehend sound.
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Hearing begins in the womb—pregnant women have reported feeling the fetus move in response to loud noises at 31 weeks (7 weeks before full-term delivery). Newborns are sensitive to the location, frequency, pitch, and volume of sounds. Loud sounds ...
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A developmental delay is any significant lag in a child's physical, cognitive, behavioral, emotional, or social development, in comparison with norms.
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Any delay in a child's physical, cognitive, behavioral, emotional, or social development, due to any number of reasons. Developmental delay refers to any significant retardation in a child's physical, cognitive, behavioral, emotional, or social de...
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Spasticity is stiff or rigid muscles with exaggerated, deep tendon reflexes (for example, a knee-jerk reflex. The condition can interfere with walking, movement, or speech. See also: Muscle cramps
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Spasticity is a form of muscle overactivity. A spastic muscle is one in which a muscle resists being stretched out, and the resistance to stretch is greater the faster the muscle is moved. Spasticity is often used as an umbrella term for other for...
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Spasticity is an abnormal increase in muscle tone. It may be associated with involuntary muscle spasms , sustained muscle contractions (dystonia), and exaggerated deep tendon reflexes that make movement difficult or uncontrollable. Although it mos...
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A feeding disorder of infancy or early childhood is the failure of a young child to gain weight over time because he or she does not take in the proper amount of nutrients. However, no medical condition is causing the problem. See also: Poor feedi...
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Unsteady gait is a symptom of instability while walking. Problems with walking can be due to disease or injury to the legs, feet, spine, or brain.
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Gait and balance problems exist when a disease process, trauma, or aging result in the inability to control one's center of gravity (COG) over the base of support (BOS) in static or dynamic tasks and environments.
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Gait or walking is a coordinated action of the neuromuscular and musculoskeletal systems. The coordination of muscle contraction , joint movement, and sensory perception allows the human body to move in the environment. Individuals with neuromuscu...
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Gait training refers to helping a patient relearn to walk safely and efficiently. Gait training is usually done by rehabilitation specialists who evaluate the abnormalities in the person's gait and employ such treatments as strengthening and balan...
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Walking abnormalities are unusual and uncontrollable walk patterns, usually caused by diseases or injuries to the legs, feet, brain, spine, or inner ear.
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A normal breathing rate for an adult at rest is 8 to 16 breaths per minute. For an infant, a normal rate is up to 44 breaths per minute. Tachypnea is the medical term that your doctor uses to describe your breathing if it is too fast, particularly...
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Uncoordinated movement is muscle control problem or an inability to finely coordinate movements, which results in a jerky, unsteady, to-and-fro motion of the middle of the body (trunk) and unsteady gait (walking style. The condition is called ataxia.
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Ataxia, a medical term originated from the Greek language meaning "without order," refers to disturbances in the control of body posture, motor coordination, speech control, and eye movements. Several brain areas, including the cerebellum and the ...
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Lack of coordination in the muscles. Ataxia, an extreme lack of coordination of the muscles, is a symptom of damage to the central nervous system. People with ataxia typically stand with feet planted far apart, and sway while standing, struggling ...
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Developmental coordination disorder is diagnosed when children do not develop normal motor coordination (coordination of movements involving the voluntary muscles).
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A seizure is the physical findings or changes in behavior that occur after an episode of abnormal electrical activity in the brain. See also: Generalized tonic clonic seizure; Partial (focal) seizure; Petit mal (absence) seizure; Epilepsy; Fever (...
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A seizure is a sudden change in behavior characterized by changes in sensory perception (sense of feeling) or motor activity (movement) due to an abnormal firing of nerve cells in the brain. Epilepsy is a condition characterized by recurrent seizu...
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A seizure is a sudden change in behavior characterized by changes in sensory perception (sense of feeling) or motor activity (movement) due to an abnormal firing of nerve cells in the brain . Epilepsy is a condition characterized by recurrent seiz...
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A temporary series of uncontrollable muscle spasms brought on by unusual electrical activity in the brain. Also known as convulsion, clonic seizure, or tonic-clonic seizure. A seizure is characterized by a sudden episode of un- controllable brain ...
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A charley horse is the common name for a muscle spasm, especially in the leg. Muscle spasms can occur in any muscle in the body. When a muscle is in spasm, it contracts without your control and does not relax.
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Muscle spasms and cramps are spontaneous, often painful muscle contractions.
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Visual disturbances are abnormalities of sight. Visual disturbances associated with neurological disorders often include double vision (diplopia), moving or blurred vision due to nystagmus (involuntary rapid movements of the eyes), reduced visual ...
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Uncontrollable movements are slow, twisting, continuous, and involuntary movements of the arms, legs, face, neck, or other parts of the body. See also: Tardive dyskinesia
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Movement disorders are a group of diseases and syndromes affecting the ability to produce and control bodily movements.
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Total blindness is the inability to tell light from dark, or the total inability to see. Visual impairment or low vision is a severe reduction in vision that can't be corrected with standard glasses or contact lenses and reduces a person's ability...
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Bruxism is when you clench (tightly hold your top and bottom teeth together) or grind (slide your teeth back and forth over each other) your teeth.
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Bruxism is the habit of clenching and grinding the teeth. It most often occurs at night during sleep, but it may also occur during the day. It is an unconscious behavior, perhaps performed to release anxiety , aggression, or anger.
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Bruxism is a habitual grinding or clenching of the teeth. The behavior is usually unconscious, occurs most often during sleep, and is a reaction to periods of stress in the patient's life.
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Bruxism is the habit of clenching and grinding the teeth. It most often occurs at night during sleep, but may also occur during the day. It is an unconscious behavior or habit perhaps performed to release anxiety , aggression, or anger.
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Muscle rigidity is an alteration of muscle tone in which the muscles are in an involuntary state of continual tension. Muscle rigidity can be a manifestation of neurological damage (basal ganglia diseases) or a side effect of certain medications.
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Hypotonia is decreased muscle tone.
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Hypotonia means "low tone," and refers to a physiological state in which a muscle has decreased tone, or tension. A muscle's tone is a measure of its ability to resist passive elongation or stretching.
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Hypotonia, or severely decreased muscle tone, is seen primarily in children. Low-toned muscles contract very slowly in response to a stimulus and cannot maintain a contraction for as long as a normal muscle. Hypotonia is a symptom that can be caus...
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Delayed growth is poor or abnormally slow height or weight gains in a child younger than age 5. See also: Short stature
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A contracture is a tightening of muscle, tendons, ligaments, or skin that prevents normal movement. See also: Becker's muscular dystrophy; Cerebral palsy; Duchenne muscular dystrophy; Dupuytren's contracture; Volkmann's contracture.
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Hazy vision, cloudy vision, blurred vision are all problems with seeing clearly. Any change in your normal vision is cause for concern and is a good reason to call a doctor for an examination.
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Uncontrolled or slow movement is defined as a problem with muscle tone, usually in large muscle groups, that leads to slow involuntary contractions of the head, limbs, trunk, or neck. See also: Movement - unpredictable or jerky; Stereotypic moveme...
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Dystonia is a disabling movement disorder characterized by sustained contraction of muscles leading to twisting distorted postures. Dystonia may affect various parts of the body and has multiple causes, making classification and diagnosis challeng...
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Dystonia is a group of complex neurological movement disorders. While the disorders vary in their symptoms, causes, progression, and treatment, dystonia is characterized by involuntary muscle contractions and spasms that result in abnormal posture...
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Dystonia is a group of complex neurological movement disorders. While the disorders vary in their symptoms, causes, progression, and treatment, dystonia is characterized by involuntary muscle contractions and spasms that result in abnormal posture...
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Dysarthria is a speech diagnostic term that can be used to classify various types of neuromuscular speech disturbances. Dysarthria results from notable degrees of one or more abnormalities involving speech musculature, including weakness, paralysi...
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Dysarthria is a group of speech impairments due to weakness, incoordination, spasticity, rigidity, or irregular movements caused by damage to the nervous system.
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