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Risk groups
There are many factors which can contribute to a baby being in the "Risk Group
for Developing CP". The most important are:
- premature babies, traumatic or prolonged delivery, low weight of the term
baby, pre-natal asphyxia, haemorrhage in the brain and/or brain oedema, postnatal
distress syndrome, delayed cardio-pulmonic function, multiple pregnancies,
jaundice, diagnosed retinopathy of the baby, transmitted infections from mother
to baby.
- manifested neurological symptoms
- genetic abnormalities
- children with heart conditions
- congenital facial malformations;
Within the risk group are also:
- Babies who have not developed their eye to eye co-ordination (eye contact),
staring at objects, the inability to visually follow a toy and lack of verbal
communication at 12 weeks (babies should be goo-ing at 12 weeks)
- Babies lacking the ability and interest to reach for, snatch or hold a toy
at 20 weeks
- Babies already diagnosed with sensory deficits (visual and auditory)
- Babies that do not actively manipulate toys and do not comprehend the "peek-a-boo"
game at 7 months
- Babies that do not "baby talk" consisting of different sounds and syllables
at 9 months
- Babies that do not impersonate sounds and mimics, who do not follow simple
instructions during play at 12/24 months.
N.B: If parents notice some of the above criteria, they are urged to consult
a neurologist, a physiotherapist, a psychologist and a SL pathologist immediately.
Risk factors and manifestations that indicate possible impairments of the
feeding abilities:
- premature and incubated babies
- intubated babies and those on ventilators (artificial form of breathing,
where a machine keeps the regular breathing)
- intra-venal and tube fed babies;
- babies with congenital facial malformations;
- babies with no or weak sucking-swallowing reflexes
- babies with diagnosed lack of co-ordination between sucking, breathing and
swallowing
- bottle fed babies needing long and difficult feedings resulting in traumatic
experiences for both mother and child;
- babies showing difficulties when spoon fed: obvious discomfort, higher sensitivity
to the contact with the spoon, insufficient chewing and premature swallowing
of the food, frequent choking;
- babies with prematurely developed organs
- babies who manifest difficulties in building a co-ordination between the
respiratory (breathing) activity and chewing
- babies with delayed or insufficient chewing abilities at 32 weeks
- babies with delayed ability to drink from a glass - at 12 months
- babies who are difficult to wean off milk and are showing the inability
to intake solid foods at 10-12 months.
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