A closer look at cerebral palsy

Cerebral palsy is a disorder caused by damage to the brain. It affects a child's ability to control movement and posture. Palsy is a word for paralysis, even though the symptoms are usually weak muscles, not actually paralysis. The weak muscles result in an inability to make voluntary movements and suppress involuntary ones.

Cerebral palsy is not contagious and may improve with treatment and therapy. It is not inherited except in rare cases. Most often, cerebral palsy is caused by brain damage during pregnancy, childbirth, or the time just after birth. Sometimes it is caused by traumatic brain injury due to infections or injury, including child abuse and neglect.

Cerebral palsy can be mild, manifesting itself as awkwardness, or severe, incapacitating a child from birth and even resulting in death. It may be complicated by other conditions, such as mental retardation, seizures, speech and language disorders, and vision and hearing problems.

Numerous conditions increase the risk that a child will be born with cerebral palsy. These include infections in the pregnant mother including German measles, sexually transmitted diseases such as gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis, and various infections that attack the baby's nervous system. Other conditions that increase risk of cerebral palsy are premature birth, low birth weight, difficult delivery, insufficient oxygen to the brain, incompatibility of blood types of mother and child, liver problems, lead poisoning, as well as smoking, and the use of drugs, alcohol, and medications during pregnancy.

Children with cerebral palsy may exhibit a wide range of symptoms, including involuntary muscular reactions; muscle rigidity; problems with sucking, chewing, and swallowing; incontinence; inability or difficulty in speaking; trouble concentrating, lack of sensing things by touch; and hearing and vision problems.

Medically, cerebral palsy is classified by the way it affects the limbs and muscles. Diplegia is where both limbs, such as both legs, are affected. Hemiplegia is where one side of the body is affected. Quadriplegia is where all four limbs are affected. Spastic cerebral palsy is where muscles are tense, contracted, and resistant to movement; this is the most common form. Athetoid cerebral palsy results in involuntary movements, such as twisting, facial grimacing, drooling, and jerky, abrupt, motions. Ataxic cerebral palsy defines lack of balance and depth perception.

There is no cure, but a number of therapies allow a person to increase control over movement. Exercise may be helpful to overcome involuntary motion and the use of wheelchairs, walkers, and braces can help a person obtain muscle control. Biofeedback helps some people concentrate and gain control over movements. Physical and occupational therapies use exercises and activities to extend children's range of control over fine and gross motor skills and learn self-help skills, such as dressing, combing their hair, brushing their teeth, drinking from a cup, and holding a pencil.

Speech therapy can help overcome voice and hearing problems. Electronic and adaptive devices, such as voice synthesizers and special computers, open doors to improved communication.

Drugs are sometimes used to relax muscles and prevent seizures. Surgery for specific problems is in the experimental stage. Overall, a stimulating environment is a powerful tool for improving the lives of those with cerebral palsy.


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