Developmental Neurology
When a child is premature i.e. born several weeks earlier than expected or born to time but gone through an illness typical of newborn age it is very important to follow up the development of the nervous system. Muscle tone disorders in newborn and infant age (hypotonia, hypertonia-tension) must be treated and amended since consequential health damages will affect later the baby’s motoric development and quality of life. The developmental neurology specialist of our clinic Dr. Borbála Telcs assists the children’s recovery on the basis her wide professional experience. Her practice is complemented by a conductor assistant well prepared to correct the disorders of the children’s nervous system providing the service of improving babies’ motoric skills who are sorted out by the specialist doctor. (link to the text “Counselling of the Conductor”).
In order to recognize the nervous system disorder at the earliest, infant’s motion must be continuously followed with attention. In case the child’s movement is falling behind or his attention and babbling is failing its triggering causes must be analyzed and treated. Follow-up of neurological seizure disorders (epilepsy) occurring at newborn and infant age is also the task of the specialist of developmental neurology.
Being parents what do we have to take care of during the child’s first years?
Development of the children’s nervous system is a very intensive progression. We all perceive admiringly the evolution of skills which the growing and progressing newborn child, having the need of continuous care and possessing limited communication means, undergoes during the first years of his/her life. In the course of this developmental period disorders, deviations may arise which could be recognized either by a paediatrist or by the parents.
What could be the disorders in the developmental period?
Infant’s increased or decreased muscle tone as well as the different muscle groups’ uneven muscle tone incidence may lead to inferior and abnormal motoric development which impairs the baby’s progressing nervous system.
Which children need increased attention?
Children being susceptive for neurological disorders in the developmental period are
- premature infants
- newborn babies who suffered from hypoxia during their delivery due to any reason
It is very important to follow up these children’s cases by the specialist of developmental neurology since there is a bigger possibility to have a developmental disorder of their nervous system.
Which are the cases when an examination of developmental neurology is required?
Examination is needed when the growth of the baby’s cranium is excessive or on the contrary it is insufficient.
Examination is also needed if we observe the following symptoms in age of newborn babies or in infant age:
- suspended breath taking (apnea) lasting 15-20 seconds with the incidence of grey skin
- strange and accidental twitching of the muscles
odd status of the baby’s eyes similar to the setting sun
Counselling by the Conductor
This is special therapy and counselling for the sake of children’s improvement destined to infants who have been diagnosed in the course of examinations on the consultation of developmental neurology. The conductor is the specialist assistant of the motoric skills’ improvement of children having neurological disorders.
The conductor complements the work of the specialist doctor of developmental neurology with the followings:
- he or she gets the baby to perform special exercises, elaborated in a way to pass to children’s different status
- he or she explains these exercises to the parents and develops their adaptation in accordance with the children’s progression and according to their actual state of development
The conductor has a very important role in the improvement of the nervous system participating in the setting of children’s development of their motoric skills right.
The conductor on duty at our clinic is Ms. Ágnes Kertész.
Please read also our detailed description about the tasks of the conductor!
