Neurological Disorders in Children

Neurological disorders in children affect their nervous system (brain, spinal cord and nerves) as well
as muscles. There are many different types of neurological conditions that require clinical care. I
shall enlist some common neurological ailments that affect children around the world.
Types of Neurological Problems in Children
There are different types of neurological conditions that affect the central and peripheral nervous
system. These various types of neurological disorders can occur due to congenital (by birth),
heredity, trauma, exposure to toxic chemicals, tumors and infections. Most of the common
neurological disorders include development delays, severe headaches, seizures, abnormal increase
in head size, muscle rigidity, lack of coordination, etc. Traumatic brain injuries can occur due to
motor accident, near drowning accident, brain injury due to fall, etc. Certain neurological diseases
occur due to infections like Ebola, malaria, encephalitis and meningitis. Genetics too plays an
important role in development of neurological symptoms in children. These include hydrocephalus,
anencephaly, autism, etc. If the mother was an alcoholic or drug addict, it may cause development of
congenital neurological diseases.
Symptoms of Neurological Disorders
There are certain neurological disorders symptoms that one should look out for. If these symptoms
are observed, you should speak to a pediatrician for further diagnoses. These symptoms in children
include:
Developmental milestone delay
Abnormal head size
Lack of coordination
Sudden changes in mood or consciousness
Muscle rigidity
Tremors or seizures
Persistent headaches in older children
Loss of feeling and tingling sensation
Muscle weakness
Paralysis
Loss of consciousness
Memory loss

Muscle spasms or convulsions

Disorientation
List of Neurological Problems in Children
There is a long list of neurological disorders in children. We shall break up this list into groups like
rare, common and congenital & hereditary disorders.
Neurological Conditions in Newborns
Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH)

Periventricular leukomalacia (PVL)

Congenital and Hereditary Neurological Conditions
Anencephaly

Cerebral Palsy
Chiari Malformation
Craniosynostosis

Hydrocephalus
Microcephaly
Spina Bifida Occulta
Common Neurological Conditions
Brain tumor
Cerebral palsy
Chiari malformation
Craniofacial abnormalities
Craniosynostosis
Developmental disorders
Encephalopathy
Epilepsy
Walking and/or gait disorders

Gilles de la Tourette syndrome

Hydrocephalus
Hypotonia
Metabolic diseases
Migraine
Movement disorders
Spina bifida
Spasticity
Spine tumor
Spinal cord, nerve and muscle diseases
Tethered cord syndrome
Tremors

Rare Neurological Conditions

Adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD)

Adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD) or Schilder's disease is a rare disorder that causes progressive brain
damage. It also leads to adrenal gland failure and finally death. This rare neurological disorder in
children belongs to the group of genetic disorders called leukodystrophies.
Alexander Disease

Alexander disease is a slow progressing neurodegenerative disease that proves to be fatal. This is
one of the very rare neurological conditions that occurs due to genetic mutation. This neurological
disorder causes development delay and changes in the physical characteristics of the child.
Childhood Disintegrative Disorder (CDD)

Childhood disintegrative disorder is also known as disintegrative psychosis and Heller's syndrome.
This is one of the rare neurological ailments in children that occurs before the age of 3 years. It
causes development delay related to language, motor skills and social functioning of the child.
Krabbe Disease

The Krabbe disease is also called galactosylceramide lipidosis or globoid cell leukodystrophy. This is
a very rare degenerative disorder that leads to death. The disease affects the myelin sheath of the
nervous system that causes fever, stiffness, irritability, feeding difficulty, vomiting and slow mental
as well motor development in child.
Subacute Necrotizing Encephalomyelopathy (SNEM)

Also known as Leigh's disease, this too is one of the rare neurometabolic disorders. This disease
affects the central nervous system of children between the age of 3 months to 2 years. The affected
child loses control over his/her movements. They are unable to suck properly and lose head control.
They suffer from vomiting, irritability, continuous crying bouts (esp. in infants), seizures and loss of
appetite.
These were some of the different types of neurological disorders in children. If you spot or find
anything abnormal about an infant's growth and development, speak to a pediatrician. Do not take
common diseases like malaria as well as meningitis lightly. These diseases if not treated on time, can
lead to many brain disorders in children. It is very important to seek early medical intervention to
improve the life quality of a child affected with a neurological disorder.