Transformative Essay: Cerebral Palsy In Children

Cerebral palsy refers to a group of chronic disorders that involve degrees of brain damage that affect body control and movement. The term cerebral refers to the brain, while palsy describes a disorder that impairs the control of body movement. These disorders are not the result of muscles or nerves problems. Instead, they are due to impaired motor areas in the brain that disrupt its ability to control movement and posture. The condition typically appears within the first few years of life and it is not marked by regression. (Mecham, 1986)

The human body is made up of many organ systems that consist of organs and tissues of different anatomies and diverse nomenclature. These organs systems, organs and tissues are prone to thousands of diseases, and one of these diseases is cerebral palsy, which is a disease of the nervous system in simple terms. Research relating to cerebral palsy is carried out, whereby the disorder is described, along with its history, and how it affects the nervous system and the brain. The anatomy of the body systems involves with regard to this disorder, the effects of the disorder on these body systems and other body systems are also researched and discussed. Furthermore, the research focuses on the causes of cerebral palsy, its complications, signs, and symptoms, and the diagnosis of the disorder, along with its treatment and side effects of the treatment. A recap of the research focusing on prevention strategies, the anatomy and physiology of cerebral palsy and the nervous system is presented.

Cerebral palsy is non-progressive but some effects of cerebral palsy on the body may change through life stages.

Cerebral palsy (CP) has been described as a group of permanent disorders of the development of movement and posture that are attributed to non-progressive disturbances that occurred in the developing foetal or infant brain (Rosenbaum et al. 2007). Since I did not know that much about CP, I went

The word “cerebral” means the brain and the word “palsy” means muscle weakness and poor control. Children or adults can be born with Cerebral Palsy or might be diagnosed later in life. The disorder may occur during the woman’s pregnancy, child’s birth, or after the child

Cerebral Palsy is a term that is used to broadly describe a group of chronic palsies, which are disorders that impair movement control due to past damage of the developing brain. Cerebral Palsy usually develops at a young age, 2 or 3, and is a non progressive brain disorder. Non progressive means that the brain itself is not damaged anymore over time, however the symptoms from the damage already there could change drastically over time either for better or for worse.

Cerebral Palsy is a non-progressive disorder of movement and posture. It is estimated that for every 1000 live births in the United States, 2-3 babies are born with this condition. Research shows that babies who are born preterm are at a heightened risk of having Cerebral Palsy.

Cerebral Palsy is a disease that is associated with brain injury prior to birth or within two years after birth. This disease is a general category and can occur because of many different events. The resultant disease can have many different effects on the body. When someone is diagnosed with this disease it will last throughout a their whole lifetime but will generally not be progressive (Imms). Cerebral Palsy is a lifelong disease but through exercise and other treatments we can increase function and increase quality of daily life for patients.

“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.

Exact etiological factors of Cerebral Palsy (CP) are not specifically known. Researchers have been doing much to decipher the causes of a child diagnosis of CP. What is believed up to this point is that there are several keys to the classification of cerebral palsy which in turn, lead o a greater understanding of what may have caused it. These classifications are made based off of the following; the severity (which is determined using the Gross Motor Function Classification System), the motor type determined (spastic, ataxic, or dyskinetic) and the topographical

One night at Adena in Chillicothe on August twenty eighth, nineteen ninety-eight my parents were blessed with a child. I came into this world, five weeks early weighing six pounds and ten ounces around the time of three o’clock in the evening. When I was born, I was sick, which caused me to be hospitalized for two weeks, this eventually led to the diagnose of Cerebral Palsy, Cerebral Palsy is a disability of the brain and nervous system. Cerebral Palsy effected my childhood by not allowing me to do things every other child could do. For the longest time I could not use the left side of my body. It got to the point where my right hand was held behind my back to make me use my left arm. I have lived in Oak Hill my entire life and have attended

Cerebral palsy is a neurological disorder that has a permanent affect a person’s movement. Cerebral palsy is occurs because there is an injury to some part of the brain and because of that it is hard for messages from the brain to communicate to the muscles. When the brain is forming during pregnancy and there is some disturbance but can also develop shortly after birth and even up into early childhood. These injuries can be located on any area of the brain and that is why Cerebral Palsy looks different for every person that has it.

Cerebral Palsy is a physical disability that affects movements and muscle coordination and it is caused when the child brain is under development. Cerebral Palsy can also be caused by injuries during labor and delivery such as accidents abuse, medical malpractice or infections may lead to Cerebral Palsy. The brain damage caused by Cerebral Palsy can lead to other health issues, learning disabilities, vision, speech, hearing impairments or language issues. There is no cure for Cerebral Palsy but treatment would focus on therapy, special equipment, and depending on the case surgery can help the individual who has Cerebral Palsy. Though Cerebral Palsy is a permanent life-long condition it is not a progressive brain disorder. The symptoms caused by the brain damage will however changed over time, getting better or getting worse.

Since, cerebral palsy is such a complex condition characterized by wide variation of motor functions, children with CP may often have several limitations in the following areas; sensation, perception, cognition, communication, behavior, as well as other health conditions that may influence their activity and participation in daily living skills, school, movement as well as communication (Chiarello & Palisano, 2012). Children with cerebral palsy will likely show signs of physical impairment however, the type of movement dysfunction, the location, and a number of limbs involved, as well as the extent of impairment, will vary from one individual to another (national library of medicine, 2016).

Cerebral Palsy (CP) is brain damage. It cannot be cured, it is not contagious, it is not a disease, and it does not get worse. According to Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia, "Cerebral Palsy is a broad term for various nonprogressive disorders of motor function in people, resulting from brain damage around the time of birth. Damage to the brain could occur before, during, or shortly after birth"(“Cerebral”). Since the damage is done during the brain’s formation, and occurs in the part of the brain that controls motor and muscle functions, people with CP might have problems with motor skills, muscle tone, muscle weakness, reflexes, balance, excessive drooling, difficulties swallowing or speaking, shaking, tremors, and