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Positional Plagiocephaly

Positional Plagiocephaly
Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 5 to 6
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   7.08

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    encouraging, persistent, playpen, symmetrical, provides, deformity, reality, abnormal, therefore, separate, medical, molded, dying, normal, appear, skull
     content words:    Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, Infant Death Syndrome

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Positional Plagiocephaly
By Jennifer Kenny 		  
1     It's quite normal for a newborn baby to appear to have a pointy head or an elongated head. Through the process of being born, the baby's head might remain that way for a few days, or sometimes even a few weeks. Why is that even possible since your head is quite hard right now and certainly not that flexible? A baby's skull is made of several separate bones. They are not fused together yet, but they will be eventually.
 
2     In some cases, a baby develops a persistent flat spot. Usually, this is on the back of the head or on one side of the head. These are cases that develop after the birth. This is not what you think of as a result of the birth. This kind of flat spot is called positional plagiocephaly, or simply flattened head syndrome. If it's not a result of being born, why does it occur?
 
3     There are two main causes of flattened head syndrome. The main reason is that the baby constantly sleeps in the same position. In that same position, the baby's head sometimes takes on a flat shape. The other main cause would be that the baby has a problem with his or her neck muscles. This is called torticollis. Either the muscles are too tight or have inadequate tone or are shorter on one side. As a result, the baby's head tilts one way. Leaning repeatedly on the same spot causes the flattened head syndrome.

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