Signs and Symptoms

Recognizing early indicators for timely intervention.

What Are Signs and Symptoms?

Signs and symptoms are indicators that provide clues about a child’s health, development, or well-being. Signs are objective, observable phenomena such as a rash or fever, while symptoms are subjective experiences reported by the child, like feeling tired or experiencing pain. Understanding and recognizing these indicators is crucial for parents as they often serve as the first hint that something might be amiss. Early identification of signs and symptoms can lead to prompt medical evaluation, diagnosis, and intervention, ultimately improving outcomes for the child. Parents should be observant and note any new or unusual signs and symptoms, as these can provide valuable information to healthcare providers.

Common Signs and Symptoms in Children

Children can exhibit a wide range of signs and symptoms as they grow and develop. Common signs include physical changes like unexpected weight loss, difficulty breathing, or skin rashes. Typical symptoms might involve behavioral changes such as increased irritability, difficulty sleeping, or sudden changes in appetite. Additionally, cognitive and emotional signs, such as difficulty concentrating, frequent outbursts, or unusual fears, can indicate underlying issues. It’s important to differentiate between normal developmental variations and signs that may suggest a concern. Keeping a record of when signs and symptoms first appeared, their frequency, and any associated triggers can help healthcare providers in making accurate assessments and recommendations.

When to Seek Professional Help

Parents should seek professional guidance when signs and symptoms persist or worsen, or if they cause significant concern. Indicators that warrant immediate medical attention include severe pain, difficulty breathing, high fever, prolonged vomiting or diarrhea, and any sign of a serious allergic reaction. For more subtle or chronic issues, such as developmental delays, social withdrawal, or consistent academic difficulties, consulting a pediatrician or specialist can provide clarity and direction. Early intervention services, counseling, and specialized therapies are available to address a wide array of concerns, ensuring that children receive the support they need. Building a partnership with healthcare providers and staying informed about your child’s health and development will empower you to act swiftly and effectively when signs and symptoms arise.

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Articles about Signs and Symptoms

  • Signs & Symptoms

    Dystonia

    Dystonia is a condition whose primary feature is a tendency for the muscles of different parts of the body to contract involuntarily. This may cause slow, repetitive movements, abnormal posture, or tremors. These movements may be painful. There are three main types of dystonia: focal dystonia (affecting only one part of the body), segmental dystonia (affecting two or more parts adjacent to each other), or general dystonia (your whole body). The different forms of dystonia affect one muscle, certain muscle groups, or the muscles of the entire body. Dystonia can be genetic but in most cases the cause is not known. Dystonia has no cure, but it can be medicated to improve its symptoms. Sometimes surgery may be indicated, to regulate or disable the specific nerves or brain regions that cause very severe dystonia. What are some of the symptoms of dystonia? Since dystonia can affect multiple body parts, symptoms may vary, but could include: Foot cramps, or a tendency for one foot to turn and drag. This may happen once in a while, or when the muscles tire after a long run or walk. Handwriting that becomes messier and harder to read after several lines are written. An involuntary turning or pulling of the neck, especially when under stress or fatigued. Rapid, uncontrollable blinking, or eye spasms that close the eyes. Tremors. Speaking with difficulty. Initially, the symptoms may be mild and hardly noticeable unless the affected person is very tired, stressed, or has exerted themselves for a long time. With time, symptoms may progress and become more noticeable, but they may remain just the same. Sometimes dystonia may affect just one action, while other actions using the same muscles are unaffected. For example, a cyclist may experience dystonia when riding a bicycle, but not when jogging or walking.

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  • Signs & Symptoms

    Ectrodactyly

    Ectrodactyly is a condition where the middle parts of the hand or feet, or of both, are missing. The middle parts could include digits (finger or toes), metacarpal (the middle part of the hand where the palm is), or metatarsal (the same middle part, but of the foot, where the arch is). This gives a cleft or split appearance to the hand or foot. Ectrodactyly is sometimes called claw-like hand or foot, referring to the appearance of the affected hand or foot. Ectrodactyly can be an important indicator of underlying genetic diseases or syndromes. However, this diagnosis also depends on other accompanying features.

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  • Signs & Symptoms

    Epicanthus | Epicanthal Folds

    Epicanthus is when the skin fold of the eyelid covers the inner corner of the eye. This may be the result of ancestry, ageing and health conditions including some genetic syndromes. Several genetic syndromes present with Epicanthus as a symptom- over 60% of individuals with Down syndrome, for example, have Epicanthus or folds of skin in the eyelid as a facial feature.

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  • Signs & Symptoms

    Everted lower lip vermilion

    Also sometimes known as a dropping lower lip, means an outward facing lower lip. The lower part of the lip would normally be facing inwards to the teeth, but with an everted lower lip, the opposite is true. The lower lip will also often appear bigger than normal, and it often means the lip does not cover the teeth when the face is resting. Sometimes this may give an affected individual the appearance of permanently pouting.

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  • Signs & Symptoms

    Externally Rotated Hips

    Infants may be born with feet pointing outward, an external rotation that appears to affect the entire leg, but is usually based on the position of the hips. This condition is less noticeable in babies, because during late pregnancy, the hips of a fetus flex up and rotate outward in order to fit the growing legs in the uterus. In many cases, externally rotated hips cause no pain or functional difficulty to the child. Families start to notice that as a child begins to stand and cruise, and to walk or run, they consistently point their feet outward. This is known as “out-toeing”, or “duck walk”, and is an instinctive compensation for the hip rotation. Some children may limp or experience pain at the hip, thigh, knee, or foot. Children with externally rotated hips may learn to walk relatively late, have flat feet and/or trouble running, easily fatigue after physical activity, have poor coordination or balance, and experience pain in the hips, knees, or the lower back. Externally rotated hips (femoral retroversion) may be due to tightness in muscles of the hip, or contraction. In that case, it will most often self-correct when the child begins to walk, and will disappear by the time the child is over a year old. Exercising the legs by rolling them inward may be helpful, but no major intervention is necessary. The position of the fetus as it develops in the womb may cause femoral retroversion (external hip rotation). It also often runs in families, so that some babies may be at higher risk of being born with this condition. It could also be caused by physical trauma such as a fracture of the femur. Identifying externally rotated hips starts with visual recognition, but diagnosis may be further complicated if there is also a separate rotation deformity such as tibial torsion, an inward twisting of the leg bones, leading to in-toeing. Externally rotated hips as a congenital abnormality can be a marker for certain diseases or syndromes. This diagnosis also depends on other accompanying features.

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  • Signs & Symptoms

    Facial Asymmetry

    It is when there is a marked difference or abnormality between the left and right sides of the face, giving the face a crooked or asymmetric appearance. The left and right sides of the face will look uneven and unequal. Some degree of facial asymmetry is considered normal, and simply just a difference in facial shape without any underlying cause or reasons for concern. There are many possible causes of this asymmetry including trauma or injury, lifestyle choices (sun exposure and damage, smoking), genetics, health or medical conditions (for example, a cleft palate) and some rare diseases.

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  • Signs & Symptoms

    Facial Shape Deformation

    Facial shape deformation is an unusual or distinctive formation of the face or one of its components. Facial shape deformation can be an important indicator of underlying genetic diseases or syndromes. However, this diagnosis also depends on other accompanying features. It may also refer to an altered morphology of size and/or shape of the face due to mechanical forces.

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  • Signs & Symptoms

    Failure to Thrive

    It is defined as when an infant or child fails to grow physically, and their growth measurements are substantially below what they should be for their age and gender. Generally, failure to thrive will be diagnosed when a child’s growth measurements fall below the 3rd percentile, or when their growth progress drops two percentiles, for example from the 75th percentile to the 25th. Failure to thrive may be due to any number of different reasons, health conditions or genetic disease.

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  • Signs & Symptoms

    Failure to Thrive in Infancy

    Failure to thrive (FTT) refers to children who are not gaining weight or growing at the appropriate rate for their age and sex. Children’s growth is charted by percentile, and a child may remain in a lower percentile but nevertheless continue developing at the expected rate, which could simply mean that the child is small but growing well. However, children who drop significantly in percentile rank, or who have a consistently low percentile rank (such as a child with height or weight in the 2nd percentile), should be examined for failure to thrive. Failure to thrive may be organic, caused by a medical problem such as malabsorption or a congenital malfunction in the child’s digestion, or it can be nonorganic, caused by poverty, abuse, neglect, or a parent or caregiver with poor understanding of feeding needs and techniques, or a parent or caregiver with mental illness, as well as other caregiver-child relationship difficulties. Most cases of failure to thrive have a combination of organic and nonorganic causes. Organic FTT may be detected at any age, depending on the disorder that is causing it. Nonorganic FTT will usually be noticeable before the child is one year old, and often by 6 months. Medical problems that can cause failure to thrive can be minor and relatively easy to correct. For example, a cleft lip or cleft palate could cause trouble chewing or swallowing. Some other disorders may also stop the child from absorbing, retaining, or processing the food that they do eat. Infections, tumors, diseases, syndromes or metabolic disorders could also cause FTT. It is rare for FTT to result from inadequate breast milk production or low fat content.

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