Cerebral palsy is a general term referring to abnormalities of motor control caused by damage to a child's brain early in the course of development.
Cerebral palsy refers to any one of a number of neurological disorders that appear in infancy or early childhood and permanently affect body movement and muscle coordination but don’t worsen over time.
The majority of children with cerebral palsy are born with it, although it may not be detected until months or years later. The early signs of cerebral palsy usually appear before a child reaches 3 years of age.
The damage can occur during fetal development, during the birth process or during the first few months after birth. Cerebral palsy can result in abnormalities of movement and posture in various parts of the body.
Cerebral palsy can’t be cured, but treatment will often improve a child's capabilities. Many children go on to enjoy near-normal adult lives if their disabilities are properly managed.
Physical signs of cerebral palsy range from weakness and floppiness of muscles to spasticity and rigidity. These disorders can range from mild to severe.
Sometimes, but not always, other neurologic disorders such as mental retardation or seizures occur in children with cerebral palsy.
Cerebral palsy is generally diagnosed in the first year or two after birth, but it's often difficult to diagnose in the first 6 months. Each year, about 5,000 American babies and infants are diagnosed with cerebral palsy.
Onset of arthritis and osteoporosis can occur much sooner in adults with CP. Further research is needed on adults with CP, as the current literature body is highly focused on the pediatric patient. CP's resultant motor disorder(s) are sometimes, though not always, accompanied by "disturbances of sensation, cognition, communication, perception, and/or behavior, and/or by a seizure disorder.
Spastic cerebral palsy is by far the most common type, occurring in 70% to 80% of all cases. People with this type are hypertonic and have a neuromuscular condition stemming from damage to the corticospinal tract, motor cortex, or pyramidal tract that affects the nervous system's ability to receive gamma amino butyric acid in the area(s) affected by the spasticity.
Ataxia type symptoms can be caused by damage to the cerebellum. Forms of ataxia are less common types of Cerebral Palsy, occurring in at most 10% of all cases. Some of these individuals have hypotonia and tremors. Motor skills like writing, typing, or using scissors might be difficult, as well as problems with balance, especially while walking. It is common for individuals to have difficulty with visual and/or auditory processing of objects.
Athetoid or dyskinetic - is mixed muscle tone - sometimes hypertonia and sometimes hypotonia. People with athetoid CP have trouble holding themselves in an upright, steady position for sitting or walking, and often show involuntary motions. For some people with athetoid CP, it takes a lot of work and concentration to get their hand to a certain spot (like scratching their nose or reaching for a cup).
Cerebral palsy isn't curable. However, getting the right therapy can make a big difference in reducing the long-term impact of the condition.
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