Developmental delay occurs in approximately 1%–3% of children. Since developmental delay is common, monitoring a child’s development is an essential component of well-child care. Ongoing assessment of the child’s development at each well-child visit creates a pattern of development that…
The term intellect designates the totality of the mental or cognitive operations that compose human thought—the higher cortical functions that make up the conscious mind. The intellect and its faculties, the subject matter of human psychology, are the qualities that…
Consciousness refers to normal wakefulness with awareness of self and the external environment, interactions, and decisions. Explanations and descriptions of consciousness are complex and cross the disciplines of neuroscience, psychology, and philosophy. In medicine, the assessment of consciousness is a…
Definitions Consciousness may be defined as a state of awareness of self and surroundings. Alterations in consciousness are conceptualized into two types. The first type affects arousal and is the subject of this chapter. Sleep, the only normal form of…
Delirium is an acute mental status change characterized by abnormal and fluctuating attention. There is a disturbance in level of awareness and reduced ability to direct, focus, sustain, and shift attention ( ). These difficulties additionally impair other areas of…
Falls and Drop Attacks—Introduction Falling in childhood is part of growing up and usually medically insignificant, unless a serious childhood illness contributes. With advancing age, the potential for injury and other complications increases, and falling eventually develops into a dangerous…
Temporary loss of consciousness may be caused by transient impaired cerebral perfusion (the presumed mechanism for syncope), cerebral ischemia, migraine, epileptic seizures, metabolic disturbances, sudden increases in intracranial pressure (ICP), or sleep disorders. These conditions may be difficult to distinguish…
Neurological diagnosis is sometimes easy, sometimes quite challenging, and specialized skills are required. If a patient shuffles into the physician’s office, demonstrating a pill-rolling tremor of the hands and loss of facial expression, Parkinson disease comes readily to mind. Although…
Neurologic disorders are often progressive, may be incurable, and commonly lead to significant disability. Palliative care is an important aspect of their management and may be required at any stage of the disease process. This chapter focuses on one specific…
Dementia is a common problem among the elderly and is associated with a number of important systemic complications. Epidemiologic studies estimate the prevalence of Alzheimer disease, the most common form of dementia, in the United States to be approximately 3…