Health Encyclopedia

Motormental retardation

Definition

Motormental retardation is delayed or decreased development of both mental and motor skills.

Alternative Names

Delayed motor and mental development; Retardation - motormental; Psychomotor retardation

Considerations

Motormental retardation in children is generally related to significant central nervous system damage or abnormality. The term refers specifically to delayed development of cognitive skills (like speech) and delayed development of motor skills (such as walking).

There can be different degrees of mental retardation. They include not meeting certain normal developmental milestones.

Infants can be born with conditions that cause motormental retardation. Motormental retardation may also develop AFTER birth, when the deterioration of both mental and motor functions is related to disease or accident.

Common Causes

BEFORE BIRTH causes include:

Asphyxia (insufficient oxygen before or during birth)
Cerebral hemorrhage (bleeding in the brain)
Congenital rubella syndrome
Congenital toxoplasmosis
Chromosomal abnormalities (excessive numbers or reduced numbers of chromosomes), such as trisomy 13, trisomy 18, trisomy 21 (Down syndrome)
Abnormalities of the chromosome (with normal number of chromosomes), such as Fragile X syndrome, Prader-Willi syndrome, Angelman syndrome
Fetal alcohol syndrome

INFANCY/CHILDHOOD causes include:

Infection -- meningitis or encephalitis; organisms can include virus, bacteria, or parasites. Some infectious organisms include: HIV, Herpes Simplex virus, toxoplasmosis, cytomegalovirus, listeria, H. influenza
Trauma -- head injury, shaken-baby syndrome, asphyxia (such as near drowning)
Non-genetic metabolic disorders -- kernicterus (brain damage due to severe jaundice; causes include Rh incompatibility), hypoglycemia, Reye syndrome, congenital hypothyroidism (untreated)
Genetic metabolic disorders -- phenylketonuria (if untreated), histidinemia
Intraventricular hemorrhage (as seen in very premature infants)
Other inherited disorders -- Tay-Sachs disease, Aicardi syndrome, Niemann-Pick disease.
Environmental or toxins -- lead poisoning, methyl mercury exposure (Minamata disease)

Home Care

Home care varies with the cause, type, and severity of retardation.

Call your health care provider if

your child does not seem to be developing appropriately (see the developmental milestones document for your child's age).

What to expect at your health care provider's office

An infant with motormental retardation generally has other symptoms and signs that, when taken together, define a specific syndrome or condition. Diagnosis of that condition is based on a family history, medical history, and thorough physical evaluation.

Medical history questions documenting motormental retardation in detail may include:

What aspects of the child's development seem to be delayed?
What specific skills have you noticed that seem to be delayed or absent?
What other symptoms are present?

Note: For information on development, see the following documents.

Physical examination may include periodic testing of your child's development to help determine appropriate therapy.

DIAGNOSTIC TESTS

The type of diagnostic testing done is entirely dependent on the suspected diagnosis. Laboratory studies, such as chromosome studies, enzyme assays, x-rays, and metabolic studies may be ordered to confirm the presence of a suspected disorder.

AFTER SEEING YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER

Although your health care provider maintains records on your child, it may be helpful to maintain your own records. You should add findings that you notice at home. Bring your records to the health care provider's attention if you notice any abnormalities, or if you have questions about your baby's development.

Review Date:5/12/2006
Reviewed By:Daniel Rauch, MD, FAAP, Director, Pediatric Hospitalist Program, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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