A Prospective Study of Cranial Deformity and Delayed Development in Children

Josefa González-Santos, Jerónimo J. González-Bernal, Raquel De-la-Fuente-Anuncibay, José M. Aguilar-Parra, Rubén Trigueros, Raúl Soto-Cámara and Remedios López-Liria
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Josefa González-Santos: Department of Psychology, University of Burgos, 09001 Burgos, Spain
Jerónimo J. González-Bernal: Department of Psychology, University of Burgos, 09001 Burgos, Spain
Raquel De-la-Fuente-Anuncibay: Department of Psychology, University of Burgos, 09001 Burgos, Spain
José M. Aguilar-Parra: Department of Psychology, Health Research Centre, University of Almeria, 04120 Almeria, Spain
Rubén Trigueros: Department of Psychology, Health Research Centre, University of Almeria, 04120 Almeria, Spain
Raúl Soto-Cámara: Department of Psychology, University of Burgos, 09001 Burgos, Spain
Remedios López-Liria: Department of Nursing, Physiotherapy and Medicine, Health Research Centre, University of Almería, 04120 Almeria, Spain

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 5, 1-9

Abstract: Plagiocephaly, the most common form of cranial deformity, has become more prevalent in recent years. Many authors have described a number of sequelae of poorly defined etiologies, although several gaps exist in their real scope. This study aimed to analyze the effects of physiotherapy treatments and cranial orthoses on the psychomotor development of infants with cranial deformities, complemented by protocolized postural exercises applied by the family. This prospective study on different developmental areas included a sample of 48 breastfeeding infants aged 6 to 18 months who presented with plagiocephaly (flat head syndrome). The Brunet–Lézine scale was used to perform three tests for assessing the psychomotor development of infants, thus offering a measure for global development. The results suggest that plagiocephaly is a marker for the risk of delayed development, particularly in motor and language areas. This delayed development could be improved with physiotherapy and orthopedic treatment, complemented by interventions by the infants´ relatives.

Keywords: plagiocephaly; child development; early intervention; speech development; motor skills disorders (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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