The book’s focus is around a 12 year old girl named Melody. She is living with the disease Cerebral Palsy. She can’t walk, talk or feed herself. But the disease does not limit it her like everyone thinks it does. She has a photographic memory, and is a very intelligent individual. But she has no way to ever show any of this. Her disability stops her from communicating her emotions and thoughts, but it does not stop her from learning. Most of all this little girl is simply a girl. She worries what she looks like, and what other people say about her. Through her positive attitude, she is able to prove everyone wrong in the end.…
The neurological disorders that I will be discussing this week are Spina Bifida and Down Syndrome. Spina Bifida is a neurological disorder that occur while a baby is still in it’s mother’s womb. The spinal column does not fuse together all the way and the spinal chord and nerves come through the open part of the spine.…
A PKU test is not done immediately after birth because the baby needs time to be able to ingest protein in order to determine if there is a problem with phenylalanine metabolism. After a few days, when the baby has eaten and has ingested protein, a PKU test can be done because there will be a more accurate outcome. Still, some tests are not 100% accurate so further blood and urine testing at 2 and 4 weeks intervals may be needed for a definite diagnosis. Just a thought - Marcie’s low birth weight puts her at risk for health problems (although she would have had PKU regardless of her birth weight since it is genetic) and makes me wonder if she may have been born before 40 weeks gestation since most babies should weigh 5.5 lbs. by week 37.…
If an individual is classified as having spasticity, the individual has suffered motor damage to the motor areas of the cerebellum. Unique characteristics of spasticity include increased muscle tone (hypertonicity only), permanent contractures, and bone deformities. If an individual is classified as having athetosis, the individual has suffered damage to the basal ganglia. Unique characteristics of individuals with athetosis include trouble controlling salivation, facial grimacing, and a protruding tongue. If an individual is classified as having ataxia, the individual has suffered damage to the cerebellum. Unique characteristics of ataxia include abnormal degrees of hypotonicity, involuntary movement of the eyeball, balance difficulties, and a wide-based gait.…
It becomes an obstacle in muscle movement, a result of an inhibited muscle longitude due to the gene carried by CP causing issues in protein synthesis. Therefore, as patients develop skeletally, their muscles do not keep pace and grow normally. Although it seems like a very muscular drawn disease, there is a part of the brain that is affected, the motor control area, which controls the legs. Emotionally, Cerebral Palsy causes doubt in those affected, by simply leaving them often wondering why they are the ones who live with this condition. However in some people, such as my brother, it nurtures a higher faith and dependence upon God. While some effects are negative, others are positive. It creates a tighter family unit, which brings me to my next point: the emotional effects on the family of an affected child. I can not express how deeply it cuts to be wheeling my brother down the mall or even sitting with him in the play area and watch people literally follow him with their eyes as they walk by. As a big sister, I am very protective of my brother and of his feelings. There have been many times where I have asked, “Haven’t you ever seen a child in a wheelchair?” because I know that it hurts his soul to know that people “stare at him funny”. Another effect that my family personally struggles with is accusations of using Braden’s disability for special privileges. It is so painful for me as well as my family to know that people would think that we are so crooked to use his disability. We have to live with him, see him, and struggle with him. It cuts deep to look into my baby brother’s eyes and see pain caused by his inability to participate in activities going on around…
Infants can be diagnosed if a doctor spots a cherry-red spot in the retina of their eye, it will most likely be Tay Sachs. There is a 50% chance in every pregnancy of having a child being a TSD carrier. Most people who suffer from Tay Sachs disease is discovered to have the mutation around six months when symptoms start showing. Ashkenazi Jews are especially affected by Tay Sachs. In the United States, approximately 1 out of 27 Jews are a Tay Sachs carrier. In the non-jewish population, about 1 out of 250 people are Tay Sachs carriers. Another ethnic group affected are the people with ancestry from Ireland, they are at a risk of 1 out of 50 people. To see if you have TSD or if you are a TSD carrier you can undergo a blood plasma assay that can see differences in Hex A activity. You can basically get the test whenever you want or you might be recommended one if severe symptoms start showing. After women becomes pregnant, a test can be done to see if the baby has Tay Sachs, and whether or not the fetus has TSD there can be counseling for the parents and counseling about therapeutic pregnancy termination. There is therapy available for people with Tay Sachs that is aimed towards making the child…
This disease can be diagnosed at birth and testing is available to identify whether the person…
Cerebral palsy can lead to the hardening of muscle tissues, inhibition of bone growth, stooping of bones, and the dislocation and deformation of joints—resulting in a myriad of physical and mental issues. Mobility issues are common in individuals with cerebral palsy. 1 in 3 children will be unable to walk and sit independently. A more severe mobility issue in children includes spastic quadriplegia, which affects the entire body—mainly the limbs—and is similar to paralysis. Muscle degradations are also present around the mouths and tongues of individuals with cerebral…
The first symptom is changes in muscle tone, especially muscle spasms and spasticity. This means that the muscles will have a sudden involuntary contraction or a violent movement of one of his limbs.…
It is important to establish a clear definition of SIDS so that we can then examine the risk factors and interventions that are known. For a baby’s death to be considered a SIDS death, it must “remain unexplained after all known causes have been ruled out through autopsy, death scene investigation, and medical history.” The problem with SIDS is that it is “a diagnosis of exclusion” . It is only given if all other possible causes of death are ruled out . SIDS can affect any baby no matter their race, religion, or income levels. It usually occurs among babies who seem healthy. It happens during sleep and strikes suddenly without warning. Any baby can be susceptible to SIDS during their first year of life.…
This happens fairly quickly as children usually start to have symptoms at three to six months of age (McCance & Huether, 2014). “With time, neurons become distorted and balloon, and microglial cells, which also are swollen and filled with large granules, proliferate” (McCance & Huether, 2014, p. 674). The brain will then start to atrophy and neurons will die. The spinal cord’s motor cells will start to change resulting in hypotonia, hyporeflexia, and weakness (McCance & Huether, 2014). Parents may notice that their baby is not reaching important developmental milestones such as rolling over or crawling. Other pathological symptoms include, seizures, increased startle reflex in babies, hearing and vision loss, paralysis, and decreased intellectual ability (“Learning About,” n.d.).…
My topic in this paper is about Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is the sudden, unexplained death of an infant younger than one year old. Some people call SIDS "crib death" because many babies who die of SIDS are found in their cribs. SIDS is the leading cause of death in children between one month and one year old. Most SIDS deaths occur when babies are between two months and four months old.…
Diagnosis can be difficult because many of the critical diagnostic features change with age. It is most difficult to diagnose in newborns and adults. Reaching an FAE diagnosis is even more difficult because only some of the symptoms are present, and possibly not as visible. This disorder cannot be detected by genetic testing because the damage is done after the baby is born.…
Infants born with the condition usually never crawl, with few ever learning to talk. Due the neuromuscular symptoms of the disorder, it might be confused with cerebral palsy before other examinations can determine the actual condition.…
Cerebral Palsy appears in infancy to early childhood and permanently affects the body movement and muscles, but it doesn’t worse over time. Some people think that this deformity is caused by problems of the muscle or nerves, but it’s not. It is actually caused by abnormalities in parts of the brain that control muscle movements. Children can also get it by trauma at birth, shaken baby syndrome, prematurity, and umbilical cord wrapped around neck of the baby. Majority of children that have Cerebral Palsy are born with it, although the doctors may not realize until months or years later. Traumatic Brain Injury is when you have problems from the frontal lobe and the occipital lobe of the brain. It’s kind of like whiplash.…