A developmental anomaly is a broad term used to define conditions which are present at conception or occur before the end of pregnancy. In the case of cerebral palsy, a small number also occur after birth. An anomaly is considered as a departure from normal development. Developmental anomalies are also sometimes called birth defects, congenital malformations or congenital anomalies.
For the Register, a developmental anomaly is defined as:
a. cerebral palsy; or
b. a structural or functional anomaly, which is present at conception or occurs before the end of pregnancy and is diagnosed during pregnancy, or after stillbirth or termination of pregnancy, or after live birth, but before 6 years of age.
Structural means how the body is built and functional means how the body works. Structural developmental anomalies include conditions such as spina bifida, congenital dislocation of the hip and congenital heart defects. Functional anomalies include conditions such as cystic fibrosis and haemophilia. Fetal alcohol syndrome and Down syndrome are also developmental anomalies. A
list of conditions (98.29KB PDF) is included in the Register.
WARDA maintains an accurate database of developmental anomalies which occur in WA, and has done so for several decades as the WA Birth Defects Register and the WA Cerebral Palsy Register. The information held by WARDA is used to:
• Monitor the number of cases of developmental anomaly in WA;
• Plan, monitor and evaluate services for the prevention and alleviation of developmental anomalies and the care of persons with a developmental anomaly in WA;
• Compile and publish general or statistical information relating to developmental anomalies; and
• Carry out research into the causes of developmental anomalies and the effectiveness of prevention, screening and treatment services.
Children with birth defects not born in WA but resident in the state are not included in the Registry reports. They are, however, recorded on the Registry for such purposes as evaluation of treatment and planning of facilities for children with birth defects in WA.