Cerebral means having to do with the brain and Palsy is weakness or problems using the muscles.
Cerebral Palsy is a group of conditions that affect movement and posture. It’s caused by damage that occurs to the developing brain, most often before birth. Symptoms appear during infancy or preschool years and vary from very mild to serious
CP is the most common motor disability in childhood. Children with cerebral palsy may have exaggerated reflexes. Symptoms include exaggerated reflexes, floppy or rigid limbs, and involuntary movements. These appear prenatally or by early childhood.
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Cerebral Palsy facts you need to know…
1. Cerebral Palsy is a group of disorders that affect a person’s ability to move and maintain balance and posture, but the specific cause of CP in most children is unknown.
2. CP is the most common motor disability in childhood. About 1 in 345 children have been identified with CP according to estimates from the Autism and development disabilities monitoring network.
3. CP is more common among boys than girls, and more common among black children than among white children.
4. About 80% of children with CP have spastic CP, which means that their muscles are stiff, and as a result, their movements can be awkward.
5. Over 60% of children with CP can walk independently.
6. Many children with CP have one or more additional conditions or diseases along with their CP, known as co-occurring conditions. For example, about 5 in 10 children with CP have Epilepsy.
7. Most CP is related to brain damage that happened before or during birth and it is called congenital CP. The following factors can increase the risk for congenital CP:
- Being born too small
- Being born too early
- Being born a twin or other multiple birth
- Being conceived by some assisted reproductive technology
- Having a mother who had an infection during pregnancy
- Having kernicterus (a type of brain damage that can happen when severe newborn jaundice goes untreated)
8. A small percentage of CP is caused by brain damage that happens more than 28 days after birth. This is called acquired CP. The following factors can increase the risk of acquired CP:
- Having a brain infection – meningitis
- Suffering a serious head injury
9. Cerebral Palsy is diagnosed during the first or second year after birth. If a child’s symptoms are mild, it is sometimes difficult to make a diagnosis until the child is a few years older.
10. Children and adults with CP can stay well, active, and a part of the community, with the appropriate services and support provided.
Children with cerebral palsy have trouble controlling their movement. However, long-term treatment includes physical and other therapies, drugs, and sometimes surgery. Cerebral Palsy diagnosis is life-changing, but it does not have to be overwhelming.
