Cerebral Palsy Essay

Cerebral Palsy (CP) is a condition that affects thousands of people each year. An estimated 764,000 children and adults are afflicted with one or more symptoms of CP. Around 8,000 infants and babies are diagnosed each year and 1,200-1,500 preschool age children are recognized with symptoms of CP (www.ucp.org). This condition is caused by “abnormal development of areas of the brain that control movement and posture” (www.ucp.org). It can also be caused by damage to the brain (usually because of head injury during the birthing process) or diseases/infections the mother has during pregnancy such as German measles, rubella, bacterial meningitis, or viral encephalitis. Other risk factors may be the loss of too much oxygen during birth

There are three main types of cerebral palsy. The first type of CP is that of Spastic Cerebral Palsy and it is often accompanied with a weakness and stiffness in muscles (Aspinall, 2007). Therefore, movements are much harder to perform and to control. Muscle weakness will sometimes make it impossible for some people to stand or move on their own while muscle stiffness prevents many to fully extend their limbs. Spastic CP is the most common type of CP in the world, and nearly eighty percent of all CP cases are of this type (Aspinall, 2007). The second type of CP is that of Athetoid Cerebral Palsy and it is caused by damage to the cerebellum and the basal ganglia (Aspinall, 2007). When damage occurs in these areas movements and body posture are affected greatly and both are less coordinated (Colledge, 1999). Moreover, the imbalance caused by the damage to these areas result in problems with speech, eating, and picking up objects (Aspinall, 2007). Nearly ten percent of all CP cases are those of Athetoid CP (Aspinall 2007). The third type of CP is that of Ataxic Cerebral Palsy. Ataxic children are usually shaky and have a poor sense of balance as well as bad depth perception (Aspinall, 2007). However, a child with Ataxic CP may have a chance of living an independent life if therapy is started at a young age.

“The term cerebral palsy refers to a group of neurological disorders that appear in infancy or early childhood and permanently affect body movement, muscle coordination, and balance”(Cerebral Palsy Information). “Cerebral Palsy affects the part of the brain that controls muscle movements”(Cerebral Palsy Information). It is common to be found within months of an infant being born to years in childhood. The condition is not genetically transferred it mostly depends of the baby in the womb. “Some of the possible causes include a lack of oxygen to the brain during labor and delivery, severe jaundice in the infant, maternal infections such German measles and herpes simplex, brain infections such as encephalitis and meningitis, bleeding into the brain ,head injuries as a result of a car accident, a fall, or child abuse” (Cerebral Palsy: Causes). In some cases the cause of Cerebral Palsy is not known.

Imagine the pain parents feel after getting the bad news that there child is affected by a birth defect. Many parents have to go through this situation in which is not an easy roller-coaster to be on. Many different birth defects are out there in the world and some are more dangerous than others. Studies today prove that birth defects affect 1 in 33 babies every year and cause 1 in 5 infant’s deaths. (National Center on Birth Defects) According to the American Heritage Dictionary, birth defect is a physiological or structural abnormality that develops at or before birth and is present at the time of birth especially as a result of faulty development, infection, or injury. (Harcourt) One out of the many birth defects in the world is

Cerebral Palsy is an umbrella term for a group of disabilities associated with movement and posture (Victoria Government, 2014; What is Cerebral Palsy? 2014). Every patient of this disability will look different and move differently due to the affected location within the brain (What is Cerebral Palsy? 2014). Cerebral Palsy will appear as a muscle disability, however, it is caused by the cerebrum being damaged. The cerebrum is responsible for memory, learning ability, muscle control, and communication skills; this is why some people with cerebral palsy struggle with communication and learning (Nordqvist, C, 2015).

Cerebral Palsy is a neurological condition. As a result, it affects a person’s whole body and his or her brain, muscles movements and their body. Consequently

Cerebral palsy is a general term called a number of neuronal conditions that affect movement and balance in humans. It usually appears at birth or in the early stages of life due to damage or atrophy of brain cells. (The period prevalence of Cerebral Palsy for 2008 was 3.1 per 1000 8-year-old children (95% confidence interval 2.8-3.4))1. Cerebral palsy is a disease that has a significant effect on the patient's performance of his various life functions, and there are many types of cerebral palsy that are Spastic, Athetoid, and Ataxic.

Cerebral palsy is a general title used to define a group of chronic disorders. These "palsies" inhibit a person's control over their own movement as a result of brain damage. This typically happens as the brain is still developing. Cerebral palsy typically develops and becomes apparent by toddlerhood. This is a nonprogressive disorder, which means that the damage present in the brain does not get worse as the person grows older. Regardless of this, the symptoms associated with the damage have a tendency to change as time progresses. At times, they get better, and others they get worse. It's one of the more common causes of disabilities in children. Here are some of the five common causes of this disorder.

Cerebral Palsy is a condition noticeable by impaired muscle coordination and/or other disabilities, typically caused by damage to the brain before or at birth. Cerebral Palsy normally affects body movements and muscle coordination. Cerebral Palsy is defined as loss of impairment of motor skills and it is actually caused by brain damage. This damage is caused by brain damage or abnormal development of the brain that occurs while a child’s brain is still developing. This can occur before, during, or immediately after birth. Because Cerebral Palsy affects the body’s movements, it affects muscle coordination, muscle tone, muscle control, posture, reflex, and balance. It also can affect the oral, fine, and gross motor skills. Individuals with Cerebral

Cerebral palsy is a neurological disorder that impairs the musculoskeletal system and motor control. Cerebral palsy is an umbrella term that covers many variations of the disorder. This disorder is caused by brain damage. This brain damage typically occurs pre-birth, during birth, or just after birth. The brain damage that causes cerebral palsy can also occur by traumatic brain damage or after a stroke, but those are often characterized as a traumatic brain injury with cerebral palsy-like symptoms. Cerebral palsy is a non-progressive disease meaning that the disease will not worsen over time. There is no cure for cerebral palsy, but it is not a disorder that completely restricts the individual’s participation in activities of daily living;

Cerebral Palsy Cerebral Palsy is considered a neurological disorder caused by a non-progressive braininjury or malformation that occurs while the child’s brain is under development. This conditionaffects the body's movements and its coordination. Cerebral Palsy is a term that refers todamage that has occurred to the brain before birth, during birth, or after birth. Researchsuggests that Cerebral Palsy is caused by a brain abnormality that has occurred during thedevelopment of the brain. The cause of Cerebral Palsy can be many different things. The cause could be before thebirth. The baby could be developing in the mother and the development of Cerebral Palsycould occur. It could also occur with an injury that could occur to the mother. Also

Cerebral palsy affects a part of the brain that helps to control the body's muscle movements. This is a disorder that permanently will affect the body's movement and/or speech. In most of the children who have cerebral palsy are born with it right after birth. Cerebral palsy starts in infancy. One person can have more effective cerebral palsy from another person. For example; a boy can have the effects of not being able to walk or talk in a preposterous way where as a girl could have the effect of not being able to walk good but can still talk normally.

My longtime friend, Patrick, who recently graduated from college, has Cerebral Palsy (CP). As a result of taking Understanding the Brain: The Neurobiology of Everyday Life I realized I had never taken the time understand his disorder and how it affects his life. Patrick, who is confined to an automated wheelchair, was happy to be interviewed and explain his perspective and experiences. While CP was not directly covered in Professor Mason’s Understanding the Brain lectures, the course content provided sufficient knowledge to quickly understand CP from a neurological perspective. I discuss CP from how it’s diagnosed to the spectrum of causes, as well as the range of symptoms on the nervous system. I describe how this course and Patrick taught

There are four types of Cerebral Palsy: Spastic, Dyskinesia, Ataxic, and Mixed. Spastic is the most common form (NINDS.gov, 2017). Spastic is classified as stiffness in the muscles and awkward movements. Spastic cerebral palsy is further classified by the main affected body areas. Spastic Hemiplegia/Hemiparesis affects the arms, hands, and sometimes the legs of one side of the body. This can lead to the affected side being shorter and thinner. Persons afflicted tend to walk with a gait if they walk at all and develop scoliosis, an abnormal curvature of the spine. Spastic Diplegia/Diparesis affects the legs and is less severe in the arms and face. Those with this form of CP have tightness in their leg muscles and require walkers and leg braces.

“Cerebral palsy (CP) describes a group of disorders of the development of movement and posture, causing activity limitation that are attributed to non-progressive disturbances that occurred in the developing fetal or infant brain. The motor disorders of cerebral palsy are often accompanied by disturbances of sensation, cognition, communication, perception, and/or behavior, and/or by a seizure disorder.” (Martin Bax, 2005)