This program discusses and demonstrates the neurological examination of the newborn. The examination techniques and the standards used to distinguish normal from abnormal responses are the result of a collaborative project to study the neurological disorders of infancy and childhood at the National Institutes of Health. The program examines several different infants during the first week of life to illustrate both normal and abnormal responses to various neurological tests. The program discusses in considerable detail the criteria used to differentiate normal from abnormal responses. The examination methods employed primarily involve the techniques of visualization and palpation and do not require complicated equipment. The examination begins with an observation of the infant's spontaneous movements. The program provides clinical examples of the setting-sun sign, unequal palpebral fissure, Marcus Gunn's syndrome, cord injury, and myoclonus. Next, the program discusses the infant's response to stimuli such as sound and light. The film includes examples of abnormal and normal ankle clonus, sucking and rooting reflexes, the absence or presence of palmar grasping and knee jerks. Then the program demonstrates examination techniques and clinical findings which require greater handling of the infant. These techniques elicit the tonic neck, traction, Moro and trunk incurvation reflexes as well as the reaction of the pupils to light. The program includes both normal and abnormal responses to the tests.
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