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Motormental retardation

• Overview
• Treatment

Alternative Names:

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

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.

• Infant - newborn development
  • Developmental milestones record - 2 months
  • Developmental milestones record - 4 months
  • Developmental milestones record - 6 months
  • Developmental milestones record - 9 months
  • Developmental milestones record - 12 months
• Toddler development
  • Developmental milestones record - 18 months
  • Developmental milestones record - 2 years
  • Developmental milestones record - 3 years
• Preschooler development
  • Developmental milestones record - 4 years
  • Developmental milestones record - 5 years
• Schoolage children development
• adolescent development

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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