WHAT IS CEREBRAL PALSY?
 

Cerebral palsy is a generic term for a nonprogressive disorder of movement and posture resulting from damage to the brain in the later months of pregnancy, during birth, in the newborn period, or in early childhood. A person with cerebral palsy may experience a wide range of disability, from slight clumsiness of hand movement and gait to complete immobility. Accompanying may be other nervous system disorders, such as hearing defects, and epileptic seizures. Intellectual function may range from extremely gifted to normal to severe mental retardation. Cerebral palsy does not include problems due to abnormality of muscles, peripheral nerves, or the spinal cord. Cerebral palsy is NOT a disease and should not be referred to as such. It is NOT hereditary, communicable, progressive or a primary cause of death.

CAUSES
 

Cerebral palsy is a condition caused by damage to the brain, usually occurring before, during, or shortly after birth.

PRENATAL

 
In over 90% of all cases of cerebral palsy, the damage occurs before birth. The most common cause is cerebral hypoxia, which is a poor oxygen supply to the brain. While this is the most common cause, there are a number of other causes:

• Anything, which produces a premature or low birth weight baby, will increase the likelihood of cerebral palsy.
• Intrauterine infections (e.g. German measles)
• Exposure to toxic substances, including nicotine and alcohol
• Malformation of the brain structure
• RH or A-B-O blood type incompatibility between mother and infant.
• Chromosome abnormalities.

Asphyxia – lack of oxygen to the brain

Brain hemorrhage

Labor, which is too long or too abrupt, can result in damage.

The baby’s head may be squeezed and injured during labor.

Cerebral palsy can be caused by damage to the brain, due to infection or injury.

• Brain infection such as encephalitis or meningitis.
• Brain injury by falls, car accidents, abuse etc.

The classifications of cerebral palsy include spastic, dyskinetic, ataxic, and mixed cerebral palsy.

SPASTIC
 

Spastic cerebral palsy includes about 50% of all cases. When muscle tone is too high or tight, the term spastic is used to describe the condition. Those with spastic C.P. have stiff and jerky movements because their muscles are too tight.

DYSKINETIC (athetoid)
 

Dyskinetic C.P. affects about 20% of those with C.P. This term is used to describe the type of cerebral palsy when muscle tone is mixed, sometimes too high, or too low. Often the person has difficulty holding themselves upright and steady. They often show movements they don’t wish to make (random involuntary movements). For example, it may take a great deal of effort and concentration to scratch their nose or reach for a cup.

ATAXIC
 

Ataxic cerebral palsy involves tremors, unsteady gait, loss of coordination, and abnormal movements, and affects about 10% of those with cerebral palsy. This condition is characterized by low muscle tone and poor coordination.

MIXED CEREBRAL PALSY
 

The remaining 20% are classified as mixed, with any combination of symptoms.

Cerebral palsy is classified by the nature of the movement disorder and by the pattern of limbs involved. Not all parts of the body are affected by the cerebral palsy. This depends on the severity and location of the injury to the brain. The terms used to describe the parts of the body affected include; quadriplegia, hemiplegia, diplegia, double hemiplegia, monoplegia, triplegia.

ASSOCIATED PROBLEMS
 

In addition to problems controlling their muscle movement, those with cerebral palsy may experience other problems as well. Most of these are caused by the same brain injury that caused the cerebral palsy.

TALKING AND EATING
 

Cerebral palsy can affect the way they move their mouth face and head. This can make it hard for the person to talk clearly, to bite, chew, and swallow food. The speech problem most often associated with cerebral palsy is called dysarthria. This is where it is hard for them to control and coordinate the muscles needed to talk. Speech may be very slow and slurred.

LEARNING PROBLEMS
 

About one fourth to one half of those with cerebral palsy have some sort of learning problem. This ranges from various forms of learning disability to something more severe like mental retardation.

SEIZURES

 
About one half of those with cerebral palsy have seizures. This means that at some times, abnormal brain activity interrupts whatever activities they are doing. A seizure may cause someone to lose control of their body and fall down. Seizures usually last a few seconds to a few minutes, and in most cases are not dangerous.

INCIDENCE

 
The incidence of cerebral palsy is approximately 2 to 4 individuals for every 1000 births.

HISTORY

 
Cerebral palsy was first described in the 1860’s by an English surgeon named William Little. He described a puzzling disorder that struck children in the first years of life causing stiff spastic muscles. The condition was called Little’s Diease, now it is known as Spastic Diplegia, a form of cerebral palsy.

 
The assessment of cerebral palsy is usually as a result of abnormal or delayed achievement of motor control milestones in a normal child’s development. Indicators can include poor infant head control, excessive arching of the back, and failure to roll over. Detection is often as a result of motor control problems, but non- motor control indicators can include: seizures, crossing of eyes, poor sucking and or swallowing reflex, excessive drooling, and extreme irritability.

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