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Hypertonic

NRI
NRI Community member Posts: 6 Listener
My daughter is being described as being hypertonic, with developmental delay.

She is now 4 months and still isn't holding her head, grasping for toys, very lethargic.

She is to have an MRI at the end of this month, but I am wondering if anyone can tell me of their experiences of a child this young which is hypertonic so very very floppy...... how did they develop? Were they able to walk, sit.... how does feeding work etc?

Comments

  • renacahill
    renacahill Community member Posts: 145 Courageous
    Hi there. My grandson is a different kettle of fish from your daughter - he goes from hypotonic to hypertonic in the blink of an eye.
    Obviously no one has a crystal ball regarding your daughter, but my next door neighbours little boy is now 7 and he was very hypotonic at birth following a placental abruption. He was not expected to live and his brain damage was more than my grandsons. Anyway this little boy in doing well in mainstream school, can walk, run, talk. He needs a computer to write with as his fine motor skills are not the best but he was trying to play tennis yesterday (not very well but he's only 7!). He could not hold his head up until he was 9 months and was extremely floppy but gradually built up his muscles and now you would not know he has any major problems. Balance is not the best but he doesnt fall anymore which he did a lot when younger. His physio said it is easier to build up and work with weak muscles than to work with hypertonic ones.
  • drbrunel
    drbrunel Community member Posts: 16 Connected
    Hi there,

    I would say that if there are signs of "stiffness" or "flopiness" its always best to push for Physio and OT as soon as possible even if their are slight concerns..

    The benefits that Physio can bring starting at an early age can help so much with a young baby..

    Its also worth noting, that prem babies are usually "floppy" in nature anyway due to them being placed in the various positions in NICU...Its not necesssarily something to worry about but in my experience, getting the physios and OTs on board at an early age is so so beneficial
  • NRI
    NRI Community member Posts: 6 Listener
    Thanks for the reply

    Stupid me- I should have spelt it Hypotonic.....

    Have an appt with her paed next week so will be pushing for physio asap.

    I was just worrying about feeding/weaning especially.... and whether she will be capable of walking ever
  • msujb
    msujb Community member Posts: 9 Listener
    My son Harry is 16 months old now and was born with complications and as a result has CP. He is weak, can't crawl properly yet but is getting stronger by the day. He still can only hold his head for a while but can now sit up for ages and play with his toys. His hand skills are improving too. He has just started to play with our faces stickin his fingers in our noses, ears and eyes!!
    Stay positive and with the right help and support you'll be amazed how much she can improve.
  • Bongyorno
    Bongyorno Community member Posts: 9 Listener
    I think, you should try conductive education, maybe it can help to your child.

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