ABPN Child Neurology study guide
ABPN Child Neurology · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
Child Neurology is one of the specialty certifications issued by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN), a member board of the American Board of Medical Specialties. The certificate is intended for physicians who have completed accredited training in neurology with a special qualification in child neurology and who want board-recognized validation of their competence in diagnosing and managing neurological disorders of infants, children, and adolescents. The ABPN Child Neurology study guide has 10 sections and about 3,341 words.
01Normal Development and Growth
Development is assessed along four streams - gross motor, fine motor/vision, language, and social/adaptive - and the examiner should track trajectory rather than isolated points. Typical timing: head control 3–4 months, sitting without support 6–8 months, pulling to stand 9–10 months, independent walking 12–15 months (18 months is the outer limit), pincer grasp 9–12 months, first word at 12 months, 50-word vocabulary and two-word combinations by 24 months, three-word sentences and strangers understanding most speech by 3–4 years.
304 words, about 2 min02Neurogenetics and Congenital Malformations
Malformations follow the embryologic timeline. Neurulation (days 18–28) produces neural tube defects - anencephaly, encephalocele, myelomeningocele - prevented by periconceptional folic acid.
306 words, about 2 min03Neonatal Neurology
Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy is staged by Sarnat criteria (I mild, II moderate, III severe) using tone, reflexes, level of consciousness, and seizures. Supportive evidence: cord pH below 7.0, base deficit ≥12–16 mEq/L, Apgar ≤5 at 5 minutes, and need for resuscitation.
320 words, about 2 min04Epilepsy and Seizure Disorders
Classify each event by semiology and EEG: focal versus generalized, with etiology as genetic, structural, metabolic, infectious, or immune. Recognize syndromes.
277 words, about 1 min05Neuromuscular and Peripheral Nerve Disorders
Localize weakness to anterior horn cell, nerve, neuromuscular junction, or muscle. Myopathic weakness is proximal with Gowers sign and elevated CK; neuropathic weakness is distal with sensory loss, areflexia, and fasciculations.
301 words, about 2 min06Cerebrovascular Disorders
Pediatric arterial ischemic stroke often presents with hemiparesis, aphasia, or seizure; seizures at onset are more common in children than adults. Causes differ from adults: arteriopathy (focal cerebral arteriopathy, arterial dissection, moyamoya), congenital heart disease, sickle cell disease, and prothrombotic states.
314 words, about 2 min07Neuro-oncology
Presenting features reflect location and intracranial pressure: morning headache and vomiting, papilledema, head tilt, ataxia, and nystagmus for posterior fossa tumors; seizures and focal deficits for supratentorial lesions; endocrine and visual complaints for sellar masses. Medulloblastoma is the most common malignant pediatric brain tumor; it arises in the fourth ventricle, may disseminate through CSF, and is treated with resection, craniospinal radiation, and chemotherapy.
325 words, about 2 min08Neuroimmunology and Neuroinfectious Diseases
ADEM is a post-infectious, multifocal demyelinating illness in which encephalopathy is a required feature, along with white matter lesions; treat with high-dose steroids. Pediatric MS requires two episodes separated in space and time, with periventricular lesions and CSF oligoclonal bands; start disease-modifying therapy early.
301 words, about 2 min09Metabolic and Neurodegenerative Disorders
Categorize by pattern: leukodystrophy (white matter), gray matter degeneration, mitochondrial disease, lysosomal storage, peroxisomal disorders, and small-molecule disorders such as amino and organic acidopathies and urea cycle defects. Age at onset and associated features narrow the differential.
280 words, about 1 min10Behavioral Neurology
ADHD requires developmentally inappropriate inattention and/or hyperactivity, at least six symptoms, onset before age 12, involvement in more than one setting, and functional impairment. Stimulants are first line; atomoxetine and alpha-2 agonists are alternatives.
613 words, about 3 min