Behaviour and cognitive functioning can vary significantly in children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). In general, among boys with DMD, IQ and academic achievement scores are about one standard deviation lower than their unaffected peers.
However, young boys with DMD may have more difficulty with impulsivity and emotional control than other children their age. They are also more likely to be rigid and inflexible in their thinking, which can result in noncompliance or arguing. They may have difficulty making transitions.
Muscular dystrophy is a progressive disease of muscle weakness, muscle atrophy and cardiac dysfunction. Patients afflicted with muscular dystrophy exhibit autonomic dysfunction along with cognitive impairment, severe depression, sadness, and anxiety.
Cognitive deficits (language problems, mental retardation, ADHD, etc.) causing social difficulties. Psychosocial factors such as anxiety or depression. The physical limitations and fatigue caused by Duchenne making it difficult for the child to keep up with others during play activities, sports, or games.
The following findings are red flags that indicate the need for an urgent referral to a neurologist: Tongue fasciculations. Loss of motor milestones. Creatine phosphokinase (CK) level higher than three times normal (however, children with some neuromuscular disorders have normal CK levels)
The diseases most frequently mistaken for muscular dystrophy were polymyositis and the syndrome of "benign hypotonia." Polymyositis, with its protean manifestations and variable course, may mimic all of the forms of muscular dystrophy so closely that differentiation becomes especially difficult.
Muscular dystrophy is usually diagnosed in children between 3 and 6 years of age. Early signs of the illness include a delay in walking, difficulty rising from a sitting or lying position, and frequent falling, with weakness typically affecting the shoulder and pelvic muscle as one of the initial symptoms.
Duchenne muscular dystrophy is the most common type of muscular dystrophy. The life expectancy for this type is around the ages of 16 to the early 20s. Becker muscular dystrophy has a higher life expectancy, usually in the 30s.
In most cases, muscular dystrophy (MD) runs in families. It usually develops after inheriting a faulty gene from one or both parents. MD is caused by mutations (alterations) in the genes responsible for healthy muscle structure and function.
Muscular dystrophies are a group of muscle diseases caused by mutations in a person's genes. Over time, muscle weakness decreases mobility, making everyday tasks difficult.
In muscular dystrophy, your muscles gradually weaken. This can cause: delays in learning to walk in early childhood and/or loss of walking ability at age 7 to 12 years. wasted muscles, clumsiness, frequent falls and finding it hard to get up.
Duchenne can (but does not always) affect brain development and cause weakness in certain cognitive or problem-solving skills. Medication side effects, fatigue, physical limitations, family stress, and difficulty coping with the diagnosis of Duchenne can also lead to psychosocial problems.
Focus on the positive. Strategies that only focus on punishment do not promote positive behaviors, increase motivation, or change attitudes. Rewarding/praising/encouraging good behavior is more effective in the long run. Look for opportunities to say “yes” instead of “no.” (“Yes, you can have a cookie, after you…”).
Students with MD may: need an individualized education plan (IEP) or 504 education plan. need adaptive or assistive technological devices in the classroom (such as a keyboard for writing) wear braces, use crutches or walker, or need a wheelchair.
Contents. The muscular dystrophies (MD) are a group of inherited genetic conditions that gradually cause the muscles to weaken, leading to an increasing level of disability. MD is a progressive condition, which means it gets worse over time.
Late ambulatory
By this stage, muscle weakness will start to affect the lower limbs and trunk, making movement difficult for the child. Apart from physical therapy regimes, they will likely require leg braces and later a wheelchair to get around.
CMDs are a group of disorders that involve more than only muscles; other body structures including the brain, eyes, and heart may be affected.
Most people have a normal life span, but some become severely disabled. Disease progression is typically very slow, with intermittent spurts of rapid muscle deterioration. Onset is usually in the teens but may occur as early as childhood or as late as age 40.
End stage cardio-respiratory failure is the most common cause of death in DMD. Young unexpected deaths do still occur. Vigilance is needed for nutritional, respiratory and cardiac failure at any age.
The most common type, called Duchenne muscular dystrophy, usually begins between ages 2 to 5; symptoms progress quickly. About 50 percent of all people with muscular dystrophy have this type. Duchenne muscular dystrophy most often affects boys, though girls can inherit the gene and pass it to their children.
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD), a much milder form of the disease where the age of onset can sometimes be as late as the third or fourth decade of life, are caused by mutations in the same X-linked gene, a 14 kilobase (kb) transcript which is spread over more than 2 megabases of ...
Electromyography. Electromyography (EMG) tests how the nerves and muscles work together by measuring the electrical impulse along nerves, nerve roots, and muscle tissue. A doctor may perform an EMG to confirm a diagnosis of muscular dystrophy and to determine the best treatment for you.