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On a waiting child list I found a picture of a BEAUTIFUL little 2 yr old. The child is said to have malformed hands & feet, this isn't what concerns me. The info said this child doesn't move their wrists, elbows, knees, or ankles. I wasn't surprised that the child wasn't walking, due to their malformed feet, but I am worried at this info. Could it be an underlying medical condition? In all of the photos the 2 yr old is in so many layers that it makes them look... round. I understand that this is how many of the children are dressed by their nannies in China, but could this be the reason the 2 yr old isn't moving his/her joints? I mean I wouldn't if I had that many layers on! The baby's face shows that he/she isn't a skinny little one, but I have honestly never seen so many layers of clothes on one kid! (and I've seen pics of adopted kiddos with A LOT of clothes on!) But then again it could be a combo of those two theories. Has anyone ever encountered this before? Have any of you had a child that was said to not walk but really could when you took off some layers?
Thanks in advance!
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I suspect, from what you wrote, that the child was listed as having arthrogryposis. This congenital disorder can be mild or severe. In its severe form, contractures can occur in many joints, and can be accompanied by muscle weakness. In its milder form, only a few joints may be affected, and the child may have almost normal range of motion.
It is highly unlikely that the child would be misdiagnosed as having arthrogryposis, when he/she simply was in too many layers of clothing. When this disorder was suspected or diagnosed, a medical examination would have been done, and it would have involved removing the clothing.
Talk to the agency representing the child and see what additional information you can get.
Sharon
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I doubt that it is the clothes, but it could be possible. I know one family who was told that their little 1 yr old didn't walk. They quickly found out when they went to China that she COULD walk, but after they took off most of the layers of clothes. As for a medical issue, that is most likely the cause.
one thing that would help you to know what she looks like in less clothing (lol...i totally understand by the way!) would be to ask for an update and ask for a recent picture with the child wearing less clothing and clearly showing affected/effected ( i never get those right, lol) body parts. show these to the International Adoption dr you hire to look over the file. Our IA was great...and when dd's file said she had "chicken breast" lol.. the IA decided they probably meant pigeon chest and asked for a picture of the child's chest...and they sure did send one. lol. asking for an update was the best thing we did when thinking about dd's file. we actually locked it before hand and filed for PA because we didn't care if she ever walked or spoke (the prognosis the IA gave us based on the original file), but when the update came shortly after that it said she was running and babbling. lol. turns out her file was mostly wrong. what was listed isn't true...and there are a few more minorish things but still SN that she has that were not listed. the update did help sort that out some...the rest came in meeting her. Next week she has one last test here in the US....and if it comes back clear I can say with confidence that her entire file was wrong despite many medical tests and exams inside. her file was already so clearly wrong that when we went to the US medical exam they kept bringing in different doctors to look over her. they all spoke in Chinese...until one stopped and addressed me in English and said, "this child does not have these needs listed here. we think her file is a mistake. she is healthy" lol. we wonder if it was switched with another child.i'm not saying go into it thinking it might be wrong. if you decide to pursue her, think and prepare for the worst. i have just met too many people lately who have mistakes one way or the other in their files....so you just never know.....so now i just encourage people to ask for an update and be specific in what you want. Your IA doctor can help you create a list of things that will help them help you with that. :)