A nurse is assessing a pediatric client. Which finding would alert the nurse to the possibility of Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type I?

A. Spinal nerve fibers exposed in a lesion: Exposed spinal nerve tissue is characteristic of neural tube defects such as myelomeningocele, not spinal muscular atrophy. SMA is a genetic neuromuscular disorder affecting motor neurons without structural spinal lesions. B. The patient has ineffective airway clearance related to weak respiratory muscles: Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type I (Werdnig–Hoffmann disease) causes profound hypotonia and progressive weakness, including the intercostal and bulbar muscles. Respiratory muscle weakness leads to poor cough effort and ineffective airway clearance, making this a hallmark clinical concern. C. Frequent seizures, impacting daily function: Seizures are not a typical manifestation of SMA Type I, as the disorder primarily affects lower motor neurons and does not directly involve cortical brain function. D. The patient is immunocompromised: Immunodeficiency is not a defining feature of SMA. While recurrent infections may occur secondary to poor airway clearance, the immune system itself is not intrinsically impaired.