In honor of Pediatric Stroke Awareness Month, we’re sharing vital information to help parents, caregivers, and communities recognize the signs of childhood stroke early and understand the importance of timely, specialized care. If you suspect your child is having a stroke, call 911 immediately.

What is a Pediatric Stroke?

Stroke is a type of blood vessel disorder in the brain that happens when a blood vessel carrying important nutrients and oxygen to the brain is either blocked or bursts. This causes injury to the surrounding tissues. Strokes can be classified as hemorrhagic or ischemic. Hemorrhagic strokes are caused by bleeding into the surrounding brain tissues, whereas ischemic strokes are caused by insufficient blood flow to an area of the brain.

• Skip ahead: Pediatric Stroke Treatment at NAPA Center

Childhood and Baby Stroke Awareness

Strokes can happen at any age, including in the womb during pregnancy. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, pediatric stroke affects one in every 4,000 newborns and about 2,000 older children annually. While rare, both baby and childhood strokes require timely, specialized care to give children the best chance at recovery and long-term success.

Pediatric stroke, also known as pediatric CVA (cerebrovascular accident), are classified into two types:

• Neonatal stroke (or perinatal stroke): Occurs between 28 weeks of pregnancy and 28 days after birth.
  
• Childhood stroke: Occurs in children between 28 days old and 18 years old.
  

Signs and Symptoms of Pediatric Stroke

Spotting a stroke early can make a world of difference. The American Stroke Association highlights these warning signs to look out for:

• One-sided facial drooping or numbness
• Sudden weakness or numbness on one side of the body – can be in the face, arm, or leg
• Sudden onset of severe headache with or without sleepiness and vomiting
• Sudden confusion, difficulty speaking, or difficulty understanding others
• One-sided visual changes
• Difficulty walking, balancing, or sudden changes in coordination
• New onset of seizures or drastic increase in seizures, usually on one side of the body

It is important to recognize that stroke can happen to anyone and prompt treatment can maximize outcomes. If you suspect your child is having a stroke – call 911 immediately!

What Happens After a Pediatric Stroke?

Immediate medical attention will be focused on restoring necessary blood flow to the brain. Once your child is stabilized and ready to be discharged, it is important to work with your team to discuss your child’s function and create a plan for follow-up care. Outcomes following a pediatric stroke can vary depending on where in the brain the stroke occurred and how long the brain was without oxygen.

Common challenges following pediatric stroke include:

• Difficulty with gross motor skills
  
• Speech and language difficulties
  
• Visual impairments
  
• Emotional regulation challenges
• Effects of childhood stroke usually impact one side of the body more than the other, known as hemiparesis

 

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Pediatric Stroke Rehabilitation, Treatment, and Awareness: What Every Parent Should Know

The good news? Children’s brains have incredible potential for recovery thanks to something called neuroplasticity — the brain’s ability to adapt, rewire, and heal. At NAPA, we design each pediatric stroke treatment plan around these principles, combining physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy to give your child the strongest foundation for progress. 

Children’s brains have incredible potential for recovery thanks to something called neuroplasticity — the brain’s ability to adapt, rewire, and heal.

Pediatric Stroke Rehabilitation Through Occupational Therapy

At NAPA Center, our therapists will utilize principles of neuroplasticity to maximize recovery potential. Neuroplasticity is defined as the neural networks in the brain’s ability to adapt and reorganize. The following are ways to incorporate neuroplastic principles in therapies to aid in the brain’s recovery from pediatric stroke:

• Repetition — It takes thousands of repetitions to achieve long-term changes in the brain. Daily practice helps build and retain new neural connections!
• Intensity — The brain requires sufficient intensity to elicit changes. This means activities in therapy should be challenging!
• Specificity — Practicing the specific skill you wish to acquire builds the strongest connections!
• Use it or lose it — Neural connections not actively engaged in a task will degrade over time. This is why it’s important for us to practice skills along the developmental sequence, even if they may not seem like they directly apply to your child’s goals.
• Transference — Plasticity in one circuit of the brain can transfer to plasticity in another neural circuit, this is why working on trunk control in standing can transfer to better sitting and transitions!
• Interference — The brain’s neural connections don’t know the difference between compensations and optimal performance. It’s important to focus on alignment and optimal movement patterns in therapies to build positive neural connections for the movements we want to see.

 

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Whether through intensive therapy sessions, customized home programs, or both, our mission is to guide your child toward their brightest possible future. If your family is navigating this path, know that you are not alone — and that with the right support, there is so much hope ahead. 

About NAPA Center

NAPA Center is a global leader in pediatric therapy, specializing in 3-week intensive therapy programs and weekly pediatric therapy at our multiple clinic locations worldwide. If your child needs our services, we will work closely with you to select the best therapies, creating a customized program specific to your child’s needs and your family’s goals. Interested in bringing your child to NAPA? Book a complimentary phone screening today to see how NAPA’s multidisciplinary team of physical, occupational, and speech therapists can help support your child. 

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About the Author 

Holly is a pediatric physical therapist at NAPA Center Denver with a passion for helping children of all abilities reach their highest potential. During her training, she founded a wheelchair seating and mobility clinic in Uganda and conducted pediatric research through the South Carolina Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities program. Holly brings expertise, heart, and hope to every family she works with.