Dystonia Bulletin Board

Childhood dystonia is hard to diagnose, and many doctors - especially Orthopedists and often neurologists who are not experienced with dystonia - will have a hard time recognizing it. If you haven't already done so, you might want to read about dystonia at http://www.dystonia-foundation.org and http://www.wemove.org - both of which provide much in the way of factual information about the condition.

The doctor you need to see is a neurologist who specializes in "Movement Disorders". Most of them are adult neurologists, but many will see children as well. I'm in New York, so I can't give you any names out there, but I checked a directory http://www.dystonia-foundation.org/pages/find_a_healthcare_professional/158.php and it looks like there is a large movement disorder group at UCLA and another (possibly smaller) one at Kaiser Pemanente. I'd suggest you try to get an appointment with someone at one of those centers.

Best of luck to you and your daughter!