How to Identify Acute Cerebellar Ataxia

Acute cerebellar ataxia is the sudden onset of uncoordinated muscle movement and is most commonly diagnosed in children that are younger than three years old. The onset of acute cerebellar ataxia is often seen to be followed after a viral infection, such as chicken pox. One can identify acute cerebellar ataxia by looking for the following symptoms.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Look out for the common symptoms of ataxia: sudden and uncoordinated movement, problems with walking, sudden eye movements and clumsy speech patterns.

2. Look for swaying body movement. Ataxia may affect the movement of a child from the neck to the hip area or to the arms and legs. Therefore, when a child is sitting, you may see that he or she is moving side to side, back to front or both and quickly jerk himself back to an upright sitting position. Their hands and feet could also be seen as swaying back and forth, especially when a child is about to grab an item.

3. Visit a physician when you have suspicions as to your child having acute cerebellar ataxia. Your physician can help you identify this symptoms as such by administering a CSF total protein test and a CT or MRI scan of the head.

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