Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum

Rare neurological condition. The Corpus Callosum is a bridge of white matter joining the two hemispheres of the brain. Brain injury occurs when the Corpus Collasum fail to form. Causes Global Developmental Delay and seizures.

Angelman Syndrome

Neurodevelopment disorder. Main signs are learning disability, jerky movements, a tendency to seizures and a happy, sociable personality.

Attention Deficit Disorder

More common in boys. Impairment of either activity or attention to control or both. Presents as a child that is always on the go, does not settle to anything, has poor concentration, poor ability to organise activities or who cannot wait for others.

Autistic Spectrum Disorder

Range of disorders affecting the development of social interaction, communication and imagination.

Cerebeller Ataxia

Abnormalities of the cerebellum, which is the hind part of the brain responsible for the co-ordination of movement. Thus children with this disorder have instability in sitting, standing and walking.

Cerebral Atrophy

When the Cortex part of the brain is shrunken in size to what it should be. Less brain mass and volume means less thinking. Cerebral Atrophy occurs in a variety of illnesses.

Cerebral Palsy

Non progressive disorder in the areas of the brain which control movement. Cerebral Palsy is mostly due to factors affecting the brain before birth. Three main types:-

• Spasticity Stiff and tight muscles.
• Athetoid or Dyskinetic Involuntary movements, change of tone in muscles from floppy to tense.
• Ataxic Unsteady, unco-ordinated shaky movements and irregular speech.

Chromosome Abnormalities

Chromosome abnormalities involve the gain, loss or rearrangement of visible amounts of genetic material. Most are associated with clinical disorders of one kind or another.

Cri Du Chat Syndrome

Deletion 5p-Syndrome. Profound learning disability.

Dandy Walker Syndrome

Abnormal development of the foraminea through which the cerebrospinal fluid exits from inside the brain to the outside surface. Balance, co-ordination and mobility are common problems.

De Grouchy Syndrome

18p-Syndrome. Chromosome Abnormality.

Delayed Myelination

A wide variety of abnormalities. The causes of delayed myelination include congenital malformations, chromosomal, metabolic and degenerative disorders.

Developmental Delay

Symptoms may include problems with balance, including motion sickness or when learning to ride a bicycle; co-ordination difficulties e.g. learning to tie shoelaces or doing up buttons. Other symptoms include the control of eye movements (reading) or hand-eye co-ordination (writing).

Downs Syndrome

Chromosome Disorder

Dyspraxia

Developmental disorder of organisation and planning and of physical movement.

Dystonia

Term for a group of neurological disorders in which involuntary muscle spasm leads to abnormal movements and postures.

Encephalitis

Inflammation of the brain and can be caused by either viral or bacterial infections. Residual brain injury will depend upon the part of the brain affected as well as the severity of the initial infection.

Epilepsy

Epilepsy is the tendency to have recurrent seizures originating in the brain as a result of excessive or disordered discharge of brain cells. Seizures are divided into two categories: generalised and partial.

Erb’s Palsy

Caused by birth trauma when traction of the head or arm, or twisting the arm or shoulder down and backward, results in paralysis of the nerves supplying the arm.

Fragile X Syndrome

Inherited learning disability. Disability varies from mild to severe.

Hemiparesis

Weakness of muscle on one side of the body, resulting in partial loss of function.

Hemiplegia

Condition affecting one side of the body.

Hydrocephalus (Water On The Brain)

Build up of cerebro spinal fluid in the ventricles causing them to compress surrounding brain tissue.

Hypotonia 

Low muscle tone (floppy).

Kabuki Syndrome

Cause unknown. Slow learners.

Learning Difficulties

A wide range of difficulties including; poor concentration, poor memory, clumsiness, poor reading and writing skills. Categorised as profound and complex to moderate and mild.

Learning Disability

Covers a wide range of intellectual impairment.

Lennox – Gastaut Syndrome 

One of the more severe forms of epilepsy, which occurs in childhood.

Lissencephaly

(Smooth Brain) Neuronal migration disorder. Causes developmental delay and seizures.

Meningitis

Inflammation of the lining of the brain and spinal cord due to bacterial, viral and fungal infection. Complications of Meningitis include deafness, brain injury, cerebral palsy and epilepsy.

Microcephaly

(Small Head) Scans show reduction in the overall size of the brain that is otherwise normally formed. Causes variable neurological impairments from very mild learning difficulties to much more severe problems such as arrested development,
epilepsy and cerebral palsy.

Ohtahara Syndrome

Rare childhood epilepsy.

Rett Syndrome

Complex, genetic, neurological disorder which affects far more girls than boys. Causes profound and multiple disabilities.

Scoliosis

Lateral curvature of the spine associated with rotation so that in the thoracic spine the ribs on the convex side are displaced backwards.

Velocardiofacial Syndrome

Caused by deletion of small part of DNA in long arm of chromosome 22. Common features include learning difficulties and attention deficit disorder. Physical features may include cleft palate, heart abnormalities and minor ear anomalies. There is a severe condition known as DiGeorge syndrome.

West Syndrome

Type of epilepsy which usually starts in the first year of life. Seizures are similar to spasms; one of the most severe forms of epilepsy. Long term problems include developmental delay and learning difficulties.

Worster – Drought Syndrome

Form of cerebral palsy. Main problems occur with the mouth, tongue, and swallowing muscles as a result of the bulbar muscles being affected

Information provided by www.brainwave.co.uk