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Did Your Newborn Suffer Cerebral
Palsy or Another Brain Injury Before
or During Labor and Delivery?

Learn More

Our Birth Brain Injury Resource Guide

the guide

Get a FREE guide of resources available throughout Ohio to children and families of children who were born with brain injuries.

Our guide can help you build a foundation of knowledge and tools that will help you help your child
now and in the future.

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Perceptual Symptoms

Compared to the physical, cognitive, and behavioral evidence of an infant brain injury, the perceptual symptoms can be more difficult to diagnose. Identifying sensory abnormalities in a baby is not always easy. It requires identifying the subtle signs and conducting a thorough medical examination.

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Visual disturbances, hearing problems, and extreme sensitivity to light or sound in an infant can be hard to pinpoint. Babies don’t have many ways to communicate something isn’t right. However, if they cry too often or are extremely irritable, it is a good reason to suspect any number of medical causes..

Spatial disorientation is when someone’s awareness of their surroundings is distorted. It becomes more evident as a child is expected to hit developmental milestones, but infants may not nurse the way they should, sleep well, or calm down when comforted. They may not start crawling as expected or have trouble doing so. Sensory issues and even headaches are common brain injury symptoms, but usually less obvious in a newborn baby. Therefore, they can be difficult to diagnose. .

Brain Damage Symptoms May Not Be Present at First

Elk & Elk

The concept of brain damage as a spectrum is prevalent in the medical community. If it is mild, then there may be no evidence of a neurological problem at first. One might not even notice any abnormalities in perception, physical well-being, or intellectual ability until the child reaches their school years. The more severe cases of injury can affect a child’s independence, and ongoing medical care may be needed over the course of their life.

Perceptual signs of a problem are often subtle. They may not be present at all, but if there are any signs of trauma or infection, a closer look at the baby’s neurological health is important. Medical scans, electrical testing, and other diagnostic tools can identify a brain injury early and possibly lead to a resolution and/or improved prognosis. Doctors and parents should be more diligent especially if there was a long delivery or the infant was born prematurely. Identifying the risk factors for and evidence of brain damage and perception problems helps find an appropriate treatment, and implement it as quickly as possible.