What is Cerebral Palsy? | Understanding Cerebral Palsy?

What is Cerebral Palsy? 

Cerebral Palsy(CP) is a disorder that affects the movement, posture, and coordination skills of an individual. Cerebral means having to do with the brain. Palsy means weakness with body movement  
According to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 1 to nearly 4 per 1,000 children globally. 
This Disorder can affect a part of the body which makes it difficult to walk, talk, swallow, and sit. It can also be related to other conditions like intellectual disability, vision, speech, hearing, seizures and spine problems.

 

Types of Cerebral Palsy 

There are several types of CP. The types of CP are :

Spastic Cerebral Palsy

This type of cerebral palsy causes muscle stiffness and backward movement of the body. People with spastic cerebral palsy can have awkward reflexes and muscle weakness.

Dyskinetic Cerebral Palsy

Dyskinetic Cerebral Palsy can cause involuntary movement of hands, arms, legs and feet. Also, the face and tongue can be affected in some cases.
 People with this CP find it difficult to walk, swallow, sit, suck and talk. 

Ataxia Cerebral Palsy

Ataxia cerebral palsy shows traits of disorganisation and problem with balance. They appear clumsy when they reach for things and unsteady when they walk. The ability to have control of their hands when writing might be a problem.

Mixed Cerebral Palsy

The combination of the different types of CP can be seen in some persons. That is why the symptoms vary among individuals.

Main Idea 2: Symptoms

Signs of cerebral palsy vary from person to person. It may take several months to years to diagnose a child with cerebral Palsy.
 It is a brain disorder and a disability can't be the same for all individuals but there would be similar signs. 
 Some of the signs are: 

• Inability to roll, stand, sit or walk-in childhood
• While walking a part of the hand and leg would be dragged along facing the opposite direction.
• Stiffness of joints
• Drooling Excessively 
• Difficulty in fine motor skills like eating and brushing teeth
• Inability to lift head
• Poor balance and coordination 
• Overextended back or neck when picked up.

 

Causes of Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy is caused by damage or injury that affects the brain during development which affects a child's control over its muscles. This can happen before,  during and after birth. According to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), most CP (85%–90%) is congenital. In many cases, the specific cause is not known. It is referred to as congenital because it happens before or during birth. Babies can be at risk of having CP due to certain factors such as Infection during Pregnancy, complications at birth, Low birth weight, Jaundice, Giving birth to a twin or triplet or premature birth. 

Treatment

The treatment of cerebral Palsy manages limitations and encourages independent living.  Therapy, Assistive aids, medications and surgery can aid improvement. Examples are Hearing aids, wheelchairs, and behavioural and occupational therapists.

Conclusion

Cerebral palsy can be prevented so, mothers should take care of themselves during pregnancy. They should always go to their doctor's appointments to check the health status of the baby. There is no cure for cerebral palsy but it can be treated.