Child neurology is the medical subspecialty devoted to the diagnosis and care of children and families affected by disorders of the brain, spinal cord, peripheral nerves and muscles. Although child neurologists may see children with primarily educational, behavioral and psychiatric disorders in consultation, their primary management is deferred to the educationists, psychologists and psychiatrists who possess the special training and skills to manage these problems.
Child neurologists train in pediatrics and neurology for a minimum of five years after graduating from medical school. Many child neurologists undertake additional years of fellowship training in highly specialized areas.
The disorders diagnosed and treated by child neurologists include headaches, cerebral palsy, developmental delay, epilepsy and seizures, metabolic disorders (inborn errors of metabolism), movement disorders, and neuromuscular disorders. Further details are provided below.
Headaches are among the most common causes of distresss in people of all ages. They have been relatively neglected and poorly understood in the children in the past. We now know that most children with headaches have migraine. There is often a history of other family members with headaches, motion sickness, fainting spells or abdominal pain. The vast majority of children with headaches do not have brain tumors or other serious illness. Sinusitis may cause headaches in children, but most people of any age with ‘sinus headaches’ actually have migraine.
Many people believe that migraines are invariably prostrating headaches, but in children their manifestations may be much milder, consisting of pounding or throbbing headaches, often, but not always associated with nausea and sensitivity to bright light, noises and odors. The headaches can often be managed by ensuring that children receive adequate sleep, eat regularly and stay well hydrated. Medications can be used to treat the acute episodes, or for prevention in cases where simpler measures are ineffective.
http://www.achenet.org/kids.
Cerebral palsy (CP) is a term used to describe children with abnormalities of movement, muscle tone or posture that result from any non-progressive process that injures the developing brain. Cp does not imply intellectual problems, although some children do have both CP and cognitive impairment.
In the past, it was thought that impaired blood and oxygen supply around the time of delivery caused most cases of CP. We now know that birth trauma causes only a minority of cases of CP, and that genetic, toxic and developmental abnormalities occurring early in fetal life are much more significant casues of CP.
Some rare metabolic diseases may mimic CP, and the investigation of children with this diagnosis often includes imaging and biochemical studies designed to seek evidence of these disorders.
All children with CP, regardless of the cause of their problem, need help form a multidisciplinary team of therapists.
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/health_and_medical/disorders/cerebral_palsy.htm
