Nervous New Mom here...please help - Cerebral Palsy Message Board

BabyGirl03One · 03-23-2004, 04:25 AM

Hello, our 7mo daughter has not received any diagnosis, but is being referred for an MRI. She has low muscle tone and has not yet rolled over, and she prefers one hand over the other. She has been in OT and PT for 1 month and has improved a lot in using both hands equally, sitting unsupported, lifting completely up on her hands on tummy time, and playing with toys and grabbing for things. However, our ped. is concerned about her EI evaluation report of using her hands unequally. Needless to say, we are very scared about a possible CP diagnosis.

Can anyone here whose infants had similar symptoms tell me what the diagnosis/prognosis has been, both mentally and physically? I guess we are hoping perhaps she does NOT have CP, or at least a "mild" case, or a mild case of "something else" (what would that be?) and we are wondering what we can expect her to do in the future (we are of course very concerned at the possibility of her not walking, talking, etc...). By the way, her evaluation showed her to be perfectly normal in terms of cognitive, social, and communication abilities (she babbles normally, understands things, etc...)

Any advice, experiences, support, etc. would be greatly appreciated! Thank you so much.

Strawberry1 · 03-23-2004, 05:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BabyGirl03One

Can anyone here whose infants had similar symptoms tell me what the diagnosis/prognosis has been, both mentally and physically? I guess we are hoping perhaps she does NOT have CP, or at least a "mild" case, or a mild case of "something else" (what would that be?) and we are wondering what we can expect her to do in the future (we are of course very concerned at the possibility of her not walking, talking, etc...). By the way, her evaluation showed her to be perfectly normal in terms of cognitive, social, and communication abilities (she babbles normally, understands things, etc...)

Any advice, experiences, support, etc. would be greatly appreciated! Thank you so much.

I was diagnosed with mild spastic hemiplegia at the age of 6 months. The difference btw. hands was the first sign that caught attention. So if your child has CP, she probably has hemiplegia (but I'm no medical expert, so there may be other possible diagnoses).

All children with hemiplegia learn to walk unassisted before their second birthday, unless their disability is very severe. But most children will have slighter problems with their gait, e.g. limping. (I learned to walk when I was 19 months old. Later, my folks said something along the lines that I had learned to walk before I learned to crawl - that is typical of hemi-children, I think.)

Does your child suck & swallow normally? If she does, her speech will probably be normal. But it is possible, that she will have other kinds of problems with language, e.g. with reading and writing.

About 50% of hemiplegic children have additional disabilities besides mobility problems (epilepsy, autism, dyslexia, AD/HD etc.).

The prognosis depends more on the severity of additional disabilities than the hemiplegia itself. If there are no other disabilities or they are few & mild, the prognosis is good: the child can go to a normal school and later she can enter the normal job market and live independently.

P.S. Search the web using the words "congenital hemiplegia". You'll find more information.

musicmaker650 · 03-23-2004, 09:31 AM

You're right Strawberry1,

you lucky people were diagnosed and started treatment much earlier than I did. When I look at pictures of me around 2 years old, I notice that my legs look small and weak, compared to other children at that age. I was a great crawler, and I didn't really ever walk without braces until I was 11, after having several leg operations on my hips, knees and feet. I was diagnosed with Spastic Diplegia CP at age 5. I have no trouble with speech, and I have good upper body strength. I'll be 54 in June. I was 2 months premature, at 2 pounds 8 onces birth weight

BabyGirl03One,

your daughter will be fine. Just love and nurture her like any child...

Strawberry1 · 03-23-2004, 12:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BabyGirl03One

Hello, our 7mo daughter has not received any diagnosis, but is being referred for an MRI. She has low muscle tone and has not yet rolled over, and she prefers one hand over the other. She has been in OT and PT for 1 month and has improved a lot in using both hands equally, sitting unsupported, lifting completely up on her hands on tummy time, and playing with toys and grabbing for things. However, our ped. is concerned about her EI evaluation report of using her hands unequally. Needless to say, we are very scared about a possible CP diagnosis.

I agree with Musicmaker. Whatever your child has, it's good that she already gets treatment. It seems that she is in good care. Don't be scared.