Cerebral gigantism in infancy: implications for psychological and social development

Cerebral gigantism, which is characterized by excessive skeletal size and unusually advanced progressive growth in the early years, is discussed with respect to an evaluation of a 23 month old toddler with this syndrome. Discussion is focused on the potential psychological and social concerns regarding children with cerebral gigantism as well as other growth disorders and the role of the clinician in the assessment of these areas. It is stressed that such an evaluation should assess cognitive status, the mother-child relationship and the child's development of a sense of self.