Neurological diseases in children: symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment methods

Neurological diseases in children occur as a result of a malfunction or disorder in a part of the brain, nerves and spinal cord. It is necessary to understand the causes and symptoms of neurological diseases in children to develop good and effective diagnostic and treatment methods. The environment also plays a major role in the development of neurological diseases and disorders in children. Therefore, it is very important to provide a suitable environment for children and also to find platforms that provide psychological support for children. One of the most famous platforms that provide psychological support for children is the Madrasa.com platform.

Causes of neurological diseases in children

Although there is no clear cause for brain and neurological disorders in children, there may be several factors that cause these disorders, and the most important causes are detailed in the following sections.

• Exposure to certain types of accidents and severe brain injuries
• Having a health problem that affects the brain, such as a tumor or stroke. Stroke is one of the main causes of epilepsy in children.
• Insufficient oxygen reaching the brain cells during birth.
• Lack of interest in healthy nutrition since birth
• Having a neurological disease that affects the brain or being exposed to trauma and brain damage during birth
• Suffering from an acute viral or bacterial infection, or suffering from a serious illness or high temperature
• birth defects
• Having some immune diseases

List of neurodevelopmental disorders that children may suffer from

• Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): Autism spectrum disorder is a disorder characterized by difficulties with social interaction and communication and repetitive behaviors.
• Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): ADHD is characterized by hyperactivity, impulsivity, and difficulty sustaining attention, which can affect academic performance and social interactions.
• Intellectual disability: Formerly known as mental retardation, it involves limitations in intellectual ability and adaptive behavior.
• Specific learning disabilities (SLD): affect reading, writing, and math skills and may impact academic performance.
• Communication disorders: These include difficulties in developing speech and language, such as slurred speech, dysarthria, and language processing problems.
• Motor coordination disorder (developmental coordination disorder): Problems with fine and gross motor skills that can affect tasks such as writing, tying shoelaces, and playing sports.
• Tourette syndrome: Characterized by repetitive involuntary movements or vocalizations called tics.
• Intellectual Giftedness: Exceptional intellectual ability is not considered a disability but without proper support can be accompanied by social and emotional problems.
• Cerebral palsy: Cerebral palsy is a group of movement and posture disorders resulting from damage to the developing brain.
• Down syndrome: A genetic disorder that causes intellectual and developmental delays and often has distinctive physical characteristics.
• Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD): These result from the mother's alcohol consumption during pregnancy and can lead to a variety of physical, cognitive, and behavioral problems.
• Rett syndrome: A rare genetic disorder that primarily affects women and causes severe cognitive and physical disabilities.
• Selective autism: A condition in which a child does not speak consistently in certain social situations, even though he or she feels comfortable speaking in other situations.

What are the symptoms of nerve disease?

Symptoms of neurological diseases in children vary depending on the type of disease or disorder the child suffers from. These symptoms include the following:

Emotional symptoms

Disorders and diseases of the central nervous system greatly affect the emotional development of children and cause a variety of emotional changes. These changes and symptoms include the following:

• rapid mood swings
• Depression and Delusions in Older Children
• sudden outbursts of anger
• Irritability and excessive crying

Physical symptoms

Common physical symptoms of nervous system disorders in children include:

• Poor muscle coordination: Poor muscle coordination is associated with many neurological disorders in children and is a major symptom of cerebral palsy.
• Muscle coordination problems: Muscle coordination problems mean excessive tightness or relaxation of the muscles. Muscle coordination problems are also one of the main symptoms of cerebral palsy.
• Seizures: Seizures are a sign of neurological disorders in children.
• Other symptoms: Other symptoms of neurological disorders in children include headache, blurred vision, unexplained fever, fatigue, numbness or tingling in the hands and feet, difficulty moving the child's arms and legs, and tremors.

Cognitive and developmental symptoms

Cognitive and developmental symptoms associated with neurological disorders in children include:

• Inability to solve problems that require planning
• Lack of harmony in playing with children of the same age
• inability to concentrate
• late speaking
• slow or slurred speech
• Not understanding the conversation
• Memory loss or weakness
• Delayed walking or crawling
• short attention span

Complications of neurological diseases in children

Depending on the type and nature of the disease, complications can range from mild to very serious. For example, some diseases can affect a child’s entire life, motor skills and daily activities, while other diseases can cause symptoms related to delayed learning, growth, etc. and we can help improve those symptoms.

To reduce the serious complications in children resulting from neurological diseases, early diagnosis and optimal treatment are important steps to overcome and reduce these complications.

Neurodevelopmental complications

If left untreated, neurodevelopmental disorders can lead to a variety of complications that affect a child's overall health and appearance.

• Academic difficulties: Many neurodevelopmental problems can hinder learning and academic progress, leading to frustration, low self-esteem, and decreased chances of success.
• Social isolation: Difficulties with social interaction isolate children from their peers, making them feel lonely and affecting their emotional development.
• Behavioral problems: Unresolved problems can manifest as challenging behaviors, making it difficult for the child to adhere to social norms and interact positively with others.
• Emotional stress: Difficulties communicating, understanding emotions, and dealing with disappointment can lead to increased emotional stress and mental health problems.
• Lack of self-esteem: Constantly struggling in different areas can lead to negative self-perceptions and hinder the development of self-esteem.

• Long-term impact: If not treated early, some neurodevelopmental problems can have long-term effects into adulthood, potentially limiting independence and abilities.
• Family stress: Families of children with neurodevelopmental problems can face increased stress as they struggle to understand and learn.
• Supporting their children's needs
• Missed opportunities: Without appropriate intervention, children may miss important developmental opportunities to acquire basic skills.

Nervous system in children

The nervous system consists of two main parts. Below is an explanation of the nervous system for children.

• Central nervous system: The central nervous system consists of the brain and spinal cord.
• Peripheral nervous system: Nerves that extend from the spinal cord and spread to all parts of the body, including the extremities.

The nervous system is primarily made up of neurons, which transmit nerve signals between the brain and other parts of the body, including the body's internal organs. This allows the nervous system to control various body processes such as breathing, movement, vision, thinking, and other processes via dendrites and axons that communicate with each other over long distances from the brain to various organs.

Diagnosis of neurological diseases in children

The most prominent methods for diagnosing neurological diseases in children are the following:

The doctor will perform a series of clinical and neurological tests to monitor the child's intellectual ability, concentration, ability to move muscles properly, balance, motor systems, and reflexes.

Radiological images are as follows:

• Computed tomography
• MRI
• peritoneal emission tomography
• X-rays
• Ultrasound

Your doctor may also perform tests such as:

• blood test
• Chromosome and gene testing
• Electroencephalogram
• Electromyography

Treatment of neurological diseases in children

The treatment your doctor uses depends on the type of disease and your condition. Treatment methods for neurological diseases in children include the following:

Drug therapy

• Describes a specific type of immune protein medication (intravenous immunoglobulin) that contains specific antibodies and prevents the formation of antibodies that cause damage in some nervous system diseases, such as Guillain-Barré syndrome.
• Prescribing certain types of medications to reduce the severity of symptoms (such as pain relievers).
• Description Levodopa is the most effective drug for treating Parkinson's disease. It is a natural chemical that enters the brain and converts to dopamine, to compensate for the decreased production of this substance in the body.

Speech and Rehabilitation

Doctors recommend treatment, rehabilitation, and language training under the supervision of a physical therapist. Your physical therapist will focus on maintaining balance and stretching exercises. Physical therapists can also improve and treat writing, motor skills, speech disorders, and some nervous system diseases.

Surgical treatment

• Surgical treatment is used to remove blockages in the arteries and perform some surgical procedures such as angioplasty to treat blood clots in the arteries. A stent is inserted and after some time the patient feels a noticeable improvement.
• Brain surgery to treat and stop bleeding
• Stimulation and treatment of spinal cord diseases
• Vertebroplasty

Neurological diseases in children

Cerebral palsy:

It is a neurological disease in children. It is a neurological disorder that occurs when the part of the brain responsible for regulating motor functions does not develop properly or is damaged. Most cases of cerebral palsy are the result of a genetic disorder and develop before birth. Cerebral palsy also occurs when the child's brain does not receive enough oxygen at birth.

Epilepsy:

It is a neurological disorder that causes abnormal electrical activity in your child's brain, putting him at risk of seizures.

Symptoms of epilepsy include:

• staring
• Abnormal movements of the arms and legs
• Stiffness of the child's body
• fainting
• difficulty breathing

Epilepsy is diagnosed by performing an electroencephalogram (EEG) on affected children.

Migraine in children:

Headaches in children are often ignored and only painkillers are prescribed. However, headaches can be a hidden cause of a serious illness. If your child shows any of the following symptoms, it is important to see a doctor immediately to rule out a more serious illness.

• Fever and high temperature
• Neck stiffness and pain
• dizziness
• Fainting and loss of consciousness
• blurred vision
• Poor concentration
• Vomiting
• Meningitis

Autism:

Autism is a chronic brain disorder that occurs early in brain development and affects a child's ability to think, feel, and speak. Autism is often caused by genetic factors. Children with autism have delays in social interaction, communication skills, verbal (language) and nonverbal (eye contact) communication, and exhibit repetitive or abnormal behaviors, such as repeating certain words or actions.

Attention deficit disorder:

Attention deficit disorder, also known as hyperactivity disorder, is a neurological disorder that causes a variety of behavioral problems in children, including hyperactivity, impulsivity, and distractibility.

Guillain-Barre syndrome:

It is a neurological disease in children. This is a rare disease in which the peripheral nerves are attacked by the immune system. This causes damage and affects people of all ages, especially children. It can be associated with varying degrees of weakness and, in rare cases, complete paralysis.

Tourette syndrome:

It is a neurological disease in children. It is a neurological disorder that often begins in childhood. Patients suffering from this syndrome suffer from involuntary vocal or motor spasms that they cannot control.

Not all tics are caused by this syndrome alone. Some children have vocal and motor tics but do not have Tourette syndrome.

Motor tics usually begin to appear between the ages of 2 and 8 years. Although vocal tics can begin to appear as early as age 2 years, they usually appear several years after motor tics and peak at age 12 years.

These tics decrease or disappear significantly in most children during adolescence, but tics may continue to occur after adolescence.

The effects of these tics vary from one child to another. Although some children suffer from mild tics that have little impact on their lives, mild or frequent tics can affect the child's self-esteem and relationships with others, friends and family.

Severe and frequent tics may require treatment such as medication and counseling. Even if tics seem mild, they can seriously affect a child's ability to learn and cause embarrassment.

Spinal cord atrophy:

It is a neurological disease in children. It is a genetic disease characterized by weakness and atrophy of the proximal muscles and, in severe cases, atrophy of the motor nuclei due to the destruction of the anterior horn cells in the medulla oblongata.

The disease manifests itself as muscle weakness in children, and this weakness is most evident in the proximal muscles, which have little voluntary movement. As a result of the severe muscle weakness, newborns assume a frog-like position with the elbows and knees crossed.

Children do not develop motor skills due to muscle weakness and have difficulty even sitting on their own. Unlike severe weakness in the limbs and back, children do not have facial weakness or brain defects.

Parkinson's disease

One of the most common neurological diseases in children is a slowly progressing disease that often begins with mild or invisible tremors in one hand. Although the development of tremors is the most obvious feature of Parkinson's disease, the syndrome also causes slow or frozen movements. Friends and family may notice stiff facial expressions, an inability to express thoughts, an inability to move the hands to the sides of the body when walking, and slurred speech.

Parkinson's disease symptoms worsen as the disease progresses. Although Parkinson's disease is incurable, the many types of medications used to treat the disease can help relieve symptoms. In some cases, surgery may be necessary.

Symptoms associated with Parkinson's disease vary from person to person. The first symptoms may be subtle and not noticeable for several months or years. Symptoms first begin to appear on one side of the body and remain the same. More severe and dangerous symptoms will appear on the same side in the future.

The role of the school.com in providing psychological counseling and psychological support for children suffering from nervous disorders

The school.com plays an effective role in providing psychological consultations for children suffering from neurological diseases and disorders as well as their parents. The school provides effective methods and techniques to provide an ideal environment for these children free from psychological and nervous pressure. The school also provides awareness articles on the most important diseases of the nervous system in children and methods of diagnosing, treating and detecting them early.

In conclusion, neurological diseases in children occur suddenly and some diseases are hereditary, but in both cases the severity of the disease worsens according to the surrounding environment. These children need special care so that the disease does not develop quickly. Therefore, it is very important to understand the causes of each disease and its early diagnosis. This is provided through the articles of the Almadrasah.com awareness platform. Psychological consultations are also provided by the school to ensure an ideal environment for the child free of any pressures.