Most new parents are on high alert when it comes to their baby’s development and behavior. If a baby has a neurological disorder, such vigilance could lead to a diagnosis and early interventions that could change the course of a child’s life.
A neurological disorder is caused by a dysfunction in the nervous system, which includes the brain, spinal cord and nerves. This dysfunction can result in physical symptoms from mild to severe.
Some neurological disorders are detected through prenatal screenings, and others are identified by medical professionals at birth. But many remain undetected until a parent or other caregiver notices something is amiss, from abnormal movements to developmental delays.
Here’s what to look for and what it may mean.
The First Weeks
Healthy newborns eat, sleep, pee and poop. They signal distress or discomfort by crying but generally quiet down upon comforting. They move their limbs. Their main business in these first few weeks of life is simply to feed and grow.
There are some early signs that something may be wrong, including:
- Poor reflexes like sucking or grasping could be symptoms of a neurological condition.
- Abnormal muscle tone (too stiff or floppy) could signal a neurological disorder like cerebral palsy.
- Difficulty feeding or swallowing might be due to problems in the brain, nerves or muscles.
With any of these concerns, watch your infant closely and make a video or record details to discuss with your pediatrician at your next visit.
Two symptoms require urgent attention: bulging fontanelles and seizures.
The fontanelles —soft spots that allow the head to compress during birth — may swell temporarily when an infant coughs or cries, but if they remain swollen, head to the doctor or emergency room immediately as it might signal rising brain pressure that could lead to brain damage without timely treatment.
Seizures, caused by sudden electrical discharges in the brain, are another reason to seek immediate medical help and could lead to a diagnosis of epilepsy, a chronic neurological condition. Symptoms of a seizure in an infant include eye-rolling or staring, lip smacking and generalized shaking or stiffening. A specialist will try to determine the cause, which could be birth trauma or bleed, a bacterial or viral infection, a metabolic disorder or a genetic disorder.
Older Babies
As babies grow, they begin to interact with their environment. Their eyes start to track your face. A smile flickers across their face. A hand connects with a mouth.
Every month a healthy baby will achieve new developmental benchmarks, from rolling over to sitting to crawling to walking. Significant developmental delays could signal a neurological disorder. Problem signs to watch for in your growing baby include:
- Lack of coordination or balance
- Persistent involuntary movements
- Difficulty with speech or language development
- Vision or hearing problems
- Unexplained changes in behavior or mood
Such delays could be a result of early insult to the brain during pregnancy, delivery or after; prematurity; or a genetic disorder.
Wait It Out or Seek Medical Attention?
The human brain is known for its plasticity (its ability to change and adapt over a lifetime).
Early diagnosis and interventions, especially physical therapy, are critical to help the brain rewire itself to improve coordination and build strength for the best possible lifelong results. So don’t wait to see if the problem resolves on its own. You could lose critical months getting your child seen by a specialist, diagnosed and into treatment.
This content is not AI generated.
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