54 chapter 6
IF THE CHILD HAS THIS
All or part of body makes
strange, uncontrolled
movements.
Body, or parts of it,
stiffens when in certain
positions: poor control of
some or all movements.
AND ALSO THIS
• begins suddenly, child may fall
or lose consciousness
• child is normal (or more
normal) between seizures
slow sudden, or
rhythmic movements;
fairly continous (except
in sleep); no loss of
consciousness
• different positions
in different children
• Body may stiffen
backward and legs
cross.
HE MAY HAVE
epileptic seizures
(Pattern varies a lot in
different children—or
even in the same child.)
athetoid cerebral palsy
(Note: Seizures and
cerebral palsy may
occur in the same child.)
spastic cerebral palsy
SEE PAGE
233
89
89
PARTS OF BODY WEAK OR PARALYZED
floppy or limp weakness in
part or all of body
no loss of feeling in
affected parts
no spasticity
(muscles that tighten without
control)
normal at birth
• usually began
with a ‘bad cold’
and fever before
age 2
• irregular pattern of parts weakened.
Often one or both legs—sometimes
arm. shoulder, hand. etc.
• begins little by little and
•
steadily gets worse
about the same on
•
both sides of body
often others in the
family also have it
floppy or limp weakness
usually some loss of
feeling
• Paralysis starts in legs and moves
up; may affect whole body.
• or pattern of paralysis variable
lump on back (See p. 57.)
• one or both
•
hands or feet
develops slowly in older
child. Gets worse and worse.
• born with bag on back
•
(Look for scar.)
feet weak, often without
feeling
••
usually from back or neck injury
weakness, loss of feeling below
•
level of injury
may or may not have muscle
•
spasms
loss of bladder and bowel control
injury to nerves going to one part
of body
polio
59
• muscular dystrophy
• muscular atrophy
tick paralysis
Guillain-Barré paralysis
(usually temporary)
paralysis from pesticides,
chemicals, foods (lathyrism)
tuberculosis of spine
leprosy
109
112
not in
book
62
15
165
215
spina bifida
spinal cord injury
paraplegia
(lower body)
quadriplegia
(upper and
lower body)
hand weakness sometimes caused
by using crutches wrongly
167
175
393
Disabled village Children