Cerebral Palsy

What is Cerebral Palsy (CP)?

CP is a group of disorders that affect a person's ability to move and maintain balance/posture. It is the most common motor disability in childhood. It is caused by abnormal brain development or damage to the developing brain that affects a person's ability to control their muscles. This can happen prior to birth, during birth, or within a month/few years of a child's life. 85-90% of people with CP had abnormal development in the brain before or during birth--called Congenital CP. The smaller percentage of people who had it occur more than 28 days after birth have Acquired CP--usually can be associated with an infection or head injury.

The symptoms can vary person to person depending on the severity. Someone with severe CP may not be able to walk at all and could need lifetime care. Someone with mild CP may need special equipment to assist them in walking, or if someone has mild CP, they may walk a bit awkwardly but not need special help.

While CP mainly causes problems with movement and posture, many people have related conditions such as intellectual disabilities, changes in the spine, or joint problems.

There are different types of CP depending on the area in which the brain is affected:

• Spastic Cerebral Palsy: most common type, affects about 80% of people with CP. People with spastic CP have increased muscle tone which means their muscles are stiff--resulting in awkward movements.

• Dyskinetic Cerebral Palsy: causes problems in controlling movement of hands, arms, feet, and legs--making it difficult to sit and walk. The face and tongue can be affected--causing a hard time sucking, swallowing and talking.

• Ataxic Cerebral Palsy: causes problems with balance and coordination. This can lead to difficulties in walking, quick movements, or movements needing lots of control--such as writing/etc.

• Mixed Cerebral Palsy: many people have a combination of the symptoms listed above--in which it is called Mixed CP.

There is no cure for Cerebral Palsy, but there are many supportive treatments, medications, surgeries, and assistive devices that can improve the lives of many through enhancing motor and communication skills.