Microcephaly: Rare Children's Disease Causes Small Head

When my son was born he appeared so small, but at six pounds and nine ounces, he seemed perfectly healthy. That is, until I quickly discovered along with the physician, that he had no soft spot and his head was a little smaller than the average newborn. The attending physician quickly made arrangements to send my son to the Riley Children's Hospital in Indianapolis where he could be evaluated to determine if a skull problem was keeping the brain from growing or whether a developmental problem with the brain kept the skull from reaching normal proportions.

After many tests it was determined that my son had a condition called microcephaly. The condition is known by the small size of the head upon birth. With the condition, the brain fails to develop properly or stops growing completely, some time in the womb. The most frequent cause of the condition is genetic abnormalities that interfere with the development of the cerebral cortex, I was told.

Often associated with Down's syndrome, chromosomal syndromes or neurometabolic syndrome the condition can be caused by rubella, chicken pox, toxic chemicals, and drug or alcohol abuse. Although the actual reason for my son's abnormal head growth was never determined absolutely the results were the same as most microcephalic children: mental retardation.

Other conditions associated with microcephaly are speech and motor problems, facial distortions, dwarfism, hyperactivity, seizures, coordination and balance issues and other neurological problems. My own son's height reached 5', his head at 27 years is but 15" in circumference, he has frequent seizures, but no facial abnormalities. He can also do many things as if he were truly 27 years old, but turn around a few minutes later and act as if he's 4.