The Neurological Assessment of the Infant (Ages Birth to 12 months) - Assignment Example

The Neurological Assessment of the Infant – Ages Births to 12 months Total Number of Words: 597 Neurological Exam of an InfantNutritional deficiency during the mother’s pregnancy period and the child’s infancy stage are some of the main reasons why a child could not reach their maximum motor, cognitive, and socio-emotional development (Prado & Dewey, 2014). Furthermore, “fetal exposure to stress” can also contribute to the development of impairment on the infant’s central nervous system, cognitive, and emotional development (Sandman et al., 2011: 1).

Spittle et al. (2014) mentioned that pre-term babies who were born less than 30 weeks of gestation are at risks of having long-term neurodevelopmental impairment as compared to term-born babies (i.e. motor, cognitive, and socio-emotional or behavioral impairment). Because of the presence of developmental disorders, pre-term babies are at risks of experiencing more serious problems with regards to their motor, cognitive, and behavioral functioning as they grow older (Tronick & Lester, 2013). The best way to check the whether or not an infant is at risk of having developmental disability or disorder is to conduct neurological assessment/examination (Hadders-Algra et al., 2010). Aside from testing the potential link between an infant’s neurological, motor, and behavioral functioning, Noble and Boyd (2012) mentioned that it is possible to conduct both neuromotor and neurobehavioral examinations not only to detect potential dysfunction on the infant’s central nervous system.

Often times, neurobehavioral examination is necessary to learn more about the infants’ behavioral strengths and weaknesses (Brown & Spittle, 2015). In practice, there are quite a lot of neurological tools which can be used in the actual examination. For instance, Tronick and Leste (2013) mentioned that NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale (NNNS) can be use in detecting signs of neurobehavioral impairment among infants. In another study, Gabriel, Formiga and Linhares (2013) mentioned that the Neurobehavioral Assessment of Preterm Infant (NAPI) can be use to examine pre-term infants’ body movements, alertness, and cry among many others.

Through early assessment, healthcare professionals can advice the child’s parents about the most appropriate intervention to consider (Brown & Spittle, 2015). Infant Milestones for the First 12 Months of LifeMonthsGross MotorFine MotorSocio-EmotionLanguage1stCan turn head or chin upFist of handsCry when distressedMake some “throaty” sound2ndChest up while in prone positionAbility to unfist hands; can move hands togetherSmiles back to peopleCan make “vowel” sounds3rdCan roll from side-to-sideObserves hand movements Make some facial expression when tasting sour foods or hearing loud noiseCan do vocalization4thCan sit provided that there is a trunk support; can roll to front or back Ability to grasp on clothes; play the rattle with handsSmiles often when hearing soundLaughing; stop crying once the infant hears familiar voice5thCan sit while arms support the trunkPutting objects from hand-to-mouthRecognizes family membersRespond when name is called6thCan handle weight using 1 handReach objects using a handCries when seeing strangersListen to “no” command7thCan sit w/out supportGrasping Non-verbal cues when asking for help Increase in the use of syllables8thCrawl; from sitting to kneel positionBang an objectShow signs of being happy and sadRespond to “come here”; says “papa”9thStand on hands/feet; learns to walkBang 2 objectsUse sound to get attentionSays “mama”; imitate sound10thWalks by holding on objectsPokesSense of fear; recognizes name calling“peek-a-boo”; wave hands 11thStand for a secondThrow objectsGive objects to peopleDance with music12thStands on his ownScribble; holds penPoints on an objectGesture like pointing fingerSource: Gerber, Wilks & Erdie-Lalena, 2010ReferencesBrown, N.

, & Spittle, A. (2015). Neurobehavioral Evaluation in the Preterm and Term Infant. Current Pediatric Reviews. 2015. 11(4). Retrieved March 31, 2015, from http://benthamscience.com/journal/abstracts.php?journalID=cpr&articleID=121467Gabriel, P., Formiga, C., & Linhares, M. (2013). Early Neurobehavioral Development of Preterm Infants. Psicologia: Reflexão e Crítica. 2013. 26(1), 202-211. Retrieved March 31, 2015, from http://www.scielo.br/pdf/prc/v26n1/22.pdfGerber, R., Wilks, T., & Erdie-Lalena, C. (2010). Developmental milestones: Motor development.

Pediatrics in Review. 2010. 31: 267-277. Retrieved March 31, 2015, from http://www.medschool.lsuhsc.edu/medical_education/undergraduate/spm/SPM_100/documents/MotorDevelopment.pdfHadders-Algra, M., Heineman, K., Bos, A., & Middelburg, K. (2010). The assessment of minor neurological dysfunction in infaccy using the Touwen infant neurological examination: Strengths and limitations. Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology. 52: 87-92 . Retrieved March 31, 2015, from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1469-8749.2009.03305.

x/epdfNoble, Y., & Boyd, R. (2012). Neonatal assessments for the preterm infant up to 4 months corrected age: a systematic review. Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology. 2012. 54(2): 129-139. Retrieved March 31, 2015, from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1469-8749.2010.03903.x/fullPrado, E., & Dewey, K. (2014). Nutrition and brain development in early life. Nutrition Reviews. 72(4): 267-284. Retrieved March 31, 2015, from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/nure.12102/fullSandman, C.

, Davis, E., Buss, C., & Glynn, L. (2011). Prenatal Programming of Human Neurological Function. International Journal of Peptides. 2011. Article ID 837596. doi:10.1155/2011/837596. Retrieved March 31, 2015, from http://www.du.edu/neurodevelopment/media/documents/prenatalprogram.pdfSpittle, A., Thompson, D., Brown, N., Treyvaud, K., Cheong, J., & al., e. (2014). Neurobehaviour between birth and 40 weeks’ gestation in infants born