Cerebral Palsy
What is Cerebral Palsy?
Cerebral Palsy (CP) is the name given to a group of conditions in which there are disorders of movement, balance or posture caused by a defect or lesion / damage to parts of the brain which control the muscles, balance and voluntary movements. This may be caused by a developmental abnormality or an injury to the brain occurring while the baby is developing in the womb or during pregnancy, delivery or shortly after birth. Each child with CP is affected differently and the difficulties in controlling balance, movement and posture may vary from being hardly noticeable to very obvious. Cerebral Palsy is a permanent condition but sometimes the effects become less apparent.
There are three main types of CP: Spastic CP, Dyskinetic CP and Ataxic CP.
Spastic CP is the most common type of CP affecting controlled / voluntary movements and most often affecting one side of the body, i.e. one arm and one leg.
Dyskinetic CP causes various involuntary movements of limbs and body.
Ataxic CP (the least common type of CP) affects balance, the co-ordination of hand movements and sometimes causes jerky speech.
How is Cerebral Palsy treated?
There is no cure for Cerebral Palsy. However, with a detailed assessment of the child's problems and skillful and patient rehabilitation, in partnership with professionals and parents, a great deal can be done to ensure that each child achieves as much of their potential as possible.
Useful link to www.scope.org.uk