WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF HYPOTONIA?
Hypotonic infants seem floppy (hypotonia in infants is also referred to as floppy baby syndrome) and head control may be poor causing the head to fall forwards, backwards or sideways in the sitting position. They may struggle to hold their head up and may sit slumped. However they are extremely flexible in the hips, elbows and knees. When an infant with hypotonia is picked up their arms may offer no resistance and they may slip away. They may also have problems with speech, feeding and breathing. Children with hypotonia may also have hyperflexible joints, drooling, speech difficulties, poor reflexes, decreased strength and decreased activity tolerance. Most infants with low-muscle tone have delayed developmental milestones, but the length of delay can vary widely. Both gross motor skills and fine motor skills are likely to be affected. Hypotonic infants are late in lifting their heads while lying on their stomachs, rolling over, lifting themselves into a sitting position, crawling and
