Question
My son had mild asphyxia at birth and was discharged from the hospital after two weeks. Now, two months later, I feel his head is still soft and he can’t lift it up, and he sleeps all day. What aspects of symptoms are associated with pediatric cerebral palsy?
Answer
The main symptoms of cerebral palsy include: posture disorders with various abnormal postures, poor posture stability, inability to hold the head upright at 3 months, tendency to tilt to one side, or rocking forward and backward. Children with cerebral palsy often dislike bathing and find it difficult to open their fists when washing hands. Intellectual disability is present in about 1/4 of normally intelligent children, in about 1/2 with mild to moderate intellectual deficiency, and in about 1/4 with severe intellectual deficiency. Language disorders include difficulty in language expression, unclear pronunciation, or stammering. Visual and auditory disorders are most commonly seen in strabismus and difficulty in distinguishing the rhythm of sounds. Growth and development disorders may result in dwarfism.