Following is an excerpt from my book, Reconciliation, A Son’s Story
Can polio affect earlychild brain development?
As a follow up note to memory loss implications, it should not be a minor detail that I contracted polio at two years of age. The Polio virus along with other viral infections can affect the nervous system according to research data and cause certain mental disorders and developmental delays in children. I have been motivated over the years to understand how the polio virus may have made me more susceptible to the effects of stress on brain chemistry. The trauma connected with child abuse clearly causes extreme stress on a child’s brain chemistry according to early childhood research. With polio in the mix while growing up in a toxic home, my brain may have been more sensitive to the stress than my siblings. Another significant factor is the current research connected with Post Polio Syndrome (PPS). Some symptoms of polio appear to surface years after a person recovers from the initial effects of the polio virus. All of us have experienced the symptoms of PTSD, but my experience has been far more evident than with my brothers and sister. Virtually all of the symptoms of PTSD have surfaced in more serious ways in my case and are discussed in this story. Now in my mid 60’s with many valuable life experiences, I have the ability to make adjustments and manage my PTSD symptoms more effectively, including taking certain medications to help with chronic anxiety.
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