Teaching #12: Case Report of Hardwood Paralysis

It seems as though I will finally have my name in the pediatric medicine textbooks. We have discovered a new neurologic mystery that we will call "Hardwood Paralysis." For many months now, Sam has been flying around the house on his hands & knees like a small sputnik without a flight pattern. The only thing that realigns his flight path is music (towards which he takes a head-bouncing B-line), and remote controls (he fully understands infrared communication and programming it appears). For just as many months, we have noticed a strange phenomenon that will keep this child of otherwise torpedo-like mobility totally stationary. If you gently set him down on his back on the hardwood floor and gently let his head down to rest on the same floor, he will not move. Never. Not for as long as we have tested this, which has been several minutes. We have left the room, and watched from another room, and he just lies there. Never moving an inch. Today, we tested this with the ultimate reward, a remote control. He didn't budge. See for yourselves. I don't understand, but I deem it "hardwood paralysis," and hope to soon find a support group for the young Samuel Quinn. For now, it works to our advantage when we have to get something done such as filling the dishwasher (which is a close 2nd in Sam's book to remote controls). Ahhh, a baby's brain...crazy...yet amazing.

Sam's hardwood paralysis, originally uploaded by tierney.david.