JulieL
10-20-2006, 10:21 AM
Well the appointment with the neurologist went well. DD indeed is quite low in muscle tone. The term for it is hypotonia. He concluded that seeing how she has no other noticable symptoms that she probably only has low muscle developement that can be treated with physical therapy. We are to do one hour a week with a PT who specializes in children's therapy. After examining her he said that on top of low muscle tone in her lower body she also has low tone in her shoulders. Her problems apparently are characteristic of low muscle tone. Here they are for other parents concerned about their DC.
Low weight gain (DD is under 3% currently at 12 months)
She doesn't hold onto me when carried with arms or legs aka monkey style (I didn't even think this was a problem or symptom until we realized she indeed was below where she should be phycially.)
Some GI problems, hard stool (she's off laxatives for at least 3 months but still has a hard time pushing a stool out from time to time, very little does she ever have a mushy stool)
Will cry or scream for a toy out of reach but can't put the information together in the brain to figure out how to get it. For instance she can roll, but when she rolls across the room (which is rare) she does it out of playing and having fun. Not once has she spied a toy that would take several rolls to get to, and done it. The neurologist says he sees this very consistantly in children with low muscle tone. That their brain just hasn't but 2 and 2 together yet. I just want to note this, that you are not ruining your child by getting the toys for him/her. I've heard a lot from parents/family that getting a toy for DD is keeping her from wanting to crawl. That's not true, she has no current muscle capability to crawl. I just think this perpetuating "frame of thought" is frustrating and puts the blaim on the parent. I had tried to do try the whole, "get it yourself" approach with much coaxing and encouragement and still do when she is rolling around, she just isn't there yet to process this and to physcially do this. Ok off the soap box!
He did an exercise/check in his lap where his arm was wrapped around her waist and let her fall forward quickly to see if she would put her hands out to protect herself, she did not.
When sitting if she gets excited about something she will lift her legs off the the floor about and inch or so and rotate her feet in circles. He said this too is a characteristic often seen in children with hypotonia.
When she is in a standing position, she hinges forward at the waist alot instead of standing solid perpendicular.
He did some blood tests to rule some things out but doesn't expect to find anything. His prognosis for her is that she will probably walk in the next year. That with physical therapy we will see much improvement, but that every childs process varies. She could have issues for a few years but should eventually catch up. We are to do a check up with him in 6 months as long as she doesn't seem to have any other issues that are worrisome.
So that's it. I posted everything just so another mom or dad who is worried about their child not crawling can maybe see some of the other problems she has and see if their child exhibits the same charateristics. Here is a link about hypotonia. But realize that this problem of low muscle tone is a issue of many many other serious issues that their child does not have, or would know they had by obvious other sypmtoms:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003298.htm
Personally I'm releaved. I can handle therapy, I just wanted to hear the dr say it's nothing very serious, that it's managable.
Low weight gain (DD is under 3% currently at 12 months)
She doesn't hold onto me when carried with arms or legs aka monkey style (I didn't even think this was a problem or symptom until we realized she indeed was below where she should be phycially.)
Some GI problems, hard stool (she's off laxatives for at least 3 months but still has a hard time pushing a stool out from time to time, very little does she ever have a mushy stool)
Will cry or scream for a toy out of reach but can't put the information together in the brain to figure out how to get it. For instance she can roll, but when she rolls across the room (which is rare) she does it out of playing and having fun. Not once has she spied a toy that would take several rolls to get to, and done it. The neurologist says he sees this very consistantly in children with low muscle tone. That their brain just hasn't but 2 and 2 together yet. I just want to note this, that you are not ruining your child by getting the toys for him/her. I've heard a lot from parents/family that getting a toy for DD is keeping her from wanting to crawl. That's not true, she has no current muscle capability to crawl. I just think this perpetuating "frame of thought" is frustrating and puts the blaim on the parent. I had tried to do try the whole, "get it yourself" approach with much coaxing and encouragement and still do when she is rolling around, she just isn't there yet to process this and to physcially do this. Ok off the soap box!
He did an exercise/check in his lap where his arm was wrapped around her waist and let her fall forward quickly to see if she would put her hands out to protect herself, she did not.
When sitting if she gets excited about something she will lift her legs off the the floor about and inch or so and rotate her feet in circles. He said this too is a characteristic often seen in children with hypotonia.
When she is in a standing position, she hinges forward at the waist alot instead of standing solid perpendicular.
He did some blood tests to rule some things out but doesn't expect to find anything. His prognosis for her is that she will probably walk in the next year. That with physical therapy we will see much improvement, but that every childs process varies. She could have issues for a few years but should eventually catch up. We are to do a check up with him in 6 months as long as she doesn't seem to have any other issues that are worrisome.
So that's it. I posted everything just so another mom or dad who is worried about their child not crawling can maybe see some of the other problems she has and see if their child exhibits the same charateristics. Here is a link about hypotonia. But realize that this problem of low muscle tone is a issue of many many other serious issues that their child does not have, or would know they had by obvious other sypmtoms:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003298.htm
Personally I'm releaved. I can handle therapy, I just wanted to hear the dr say it's nothing very serious, that it's managable.