Microcephaly

My daughter, Alia, is also diagnosed Microcephalic. The diagnosis simply means "small head." However, she is ethnically Asian, and Asian children often have smaller heads than what the "American Charts" believe is an average sized head. Alia's head measures lower than the 5th percentile. She looks fine though (you can't tell that her head is small at all... in fact, with those chubby cheeks of hers it actually makes her head look larger), and I think she is of average intelligence. She is also diagnosed slightly "Developmentally Delayed"... Spending the first 10 months of her life in an orphanage in Kazakhstan didn't do a whole lot to foster healthy development. She's overcoming those early enviromental factors though: walked at 17 months, and at 19 months is starting to talk well and get along like she's been here her whole life.Microcephaly CAN be a concern, but there's a lot of factors that need to be looked at. Ethnic and hereditary features, envrionmental situations that could be responsible for the delays, and medical opinions of the CHILD - not just the diagnosis - to name a few.Hope this helps!-Susan C.

Why does the child have microcephaly? It can be seen in premature infants. It is also associated with encephalocele (skull defect with brain tissue outside the skull) and other neural tube defects. Microcephaly itself simply means a skull circumference three standard deviations or more below the mean for a child of that age/sex. It is important to distinguish microcephaly from craniosynostosis, or premature closure of the sutures, which should be treated surgically. Intelligence can be normal, especially if none of the other associated conditions are present.

Originally Posted By PamIt could mean they exposed to alcohol/drugs during mom's pregnancy. Both of these kids WERE exposed to drugs. Both have some problems, although 7 year old is FAR from delayed...I am proud to boast that, although we were told he would never achieve, he is easily reading and doing division. The other one is a little slow, but lots smarter than we thought at first. Microcepholy MAY mean that the brain has not had enough time to develop to it's fullness and CAN be a warning sign, especially for those kids who may have FAS/FAE (which is actually harder to overcome than problems related to drug use). But I would never turn down a child due to a small head size, if that were the only factor, even if the child were a little delayed.

Originally Posted By JudyWe are supposed to get additional information on this child tomorrow. Hopefully it will have more answers. I know the child is caucasian and healthy. She does have some behavior issues and attachment issues. Thank you for all of your input. I am encouraged to hear that a diagnosis of microcephaly is not an automatic negative and that these children can function normally! She has ADHD, so I would not be surprised to discover the child was exposed to drugs or alcohol in utero. I will let you know what we find out!

I know this post was ~20 years ago but my wife and I were recently presented with an opportunity to adopt a child from birth who is diagnosed currently with microcephaly via ultrasound. The child's due date is May 6 and is from India. Any help/advise, etc. on what we may expect going forward including adult life would be really appreciated as well as anything we could do to minimize effects. We have two kids of our own right now, 9 months old and 2 1/2 years. Thank you