This disorder is genetically conditioned, and it does not affect the brain, or the spinal cord, as it affects the child’s muscles directly. Muscle tissue is eliminated, leading to increasing limitations of movement and this tends to be fatal in the final stages due to breathing muscle failure. Symptoms of dystrophy become more apparent around the age when the child is supposed to start attending kindergarten. Children tend to be clumsier than their peers, often trip and fall, they have problems walking up the stairs, running or standing up off the ground.