- Perinatal stroke, neonatal stroke, infant stroke, and childhood stroke are some of the most common causes of hemiplegia or hemiparesis in or unilateral cerebral palsy in children.
- Perinatal arterial ischemic stroke is the most common form of stroke in children and it occurs in 1 in every 2800 live births.
- Sixty percent of these children who have a stroke have specific symptoms such as recurrent focal seizures in the first three days of life.
- However, forty percent of children with early stroke do not have symptoms and the stroke is recognized later with delays in movement, development, learning, or seizures.
- A child who favors one hand, leaves the other hand in a fist or doesn’t bring both hands together during play should be referred to an early intervention program and a pediatric neurologist for further testing.
- Delays in early milestones – rolling, sitting, pulling to stand, crawling, and walking – are additional reasons for evaluation.
- A child with early stroke may be unwilling to bear weight on one leg or may point the toes on that foot or walk on tip toe.
- The pediatric stroke diagnosis is confirmed with ultrasounds and MRI.
CHASA. Support for children, teens and adults with hemiplegia, hemiparesis, hemiplegic cerebral palsy, childhood stroke, infant stroke, hemiplegia, hemiparesis, neonatal stroke, brain bleed, stroke in utero and pediatric stroke
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