Understanding Cerebral Palsy: A Parent’s Guide Introduction As a parent, you may have many questions regarding your child’s cerebral palsy diagnosis. As you look for answers, you may encounter information about cerebral palsy, its causes, and possible treatments. All of these different opinions can make it challenging for a family to organize options and begin to choose a treatment plan that best fits the family. We hope that this packet will help better prepare you to understand the information you receive about treatments for cerebral palsy, as well as give you the chance to look over the most recent professional opinions about cerebral palsy. Westside Regional Center anticipates supporting your family as you proceed from your child’s initial diagnosis to ongoing support throughout his or her lifetime. What is Cerebral Palsy? Cerebral palsy, also referred to as CP, is a disorder that affects body movement and muscle coordination. However, although it affects the muscles in our bodies, it is not caused by problems in the muscles themselves or the nerves. Cerebral palsy is caused by the failure of the brain to develop properly during pregnancy or damage to the brain, either before, during, or after birth. In fact, the word cerebral means having to do with the brain, while palsy means muscle weakness. It is important to know that, while the severity of this disorder has a wide range (from a slightly awkward walk to whole body weakness requiring a wheelchair), cerebral palsy is usually classified into four categories. The four major types of cerebral palsy are: 1. Spastic cerebral palsy occurs when muscles are extremely tight, causing stiff movement of the body. It is the most common form of cerebral palsy and accounts for a majority of CP cases. Doctors will often further describe this form of cerebral palsy based on what specific body parts are affected. Some examples include: Spastic diplegia - in both legs, muscles are tight, which may make it difficult to walk Spastic hemiplegia – only one side of the body is tight/stiff, and arms or hands might be more affected than legs Spastic quadriplegia – arms, legs, and body are affected, which may make it difficult to walk and talk 2. Athetoid cerebral palsy involves slow, uncontrolled, writhing movements. It usually affects the arms, legs, hands or feet. In some cases, the muscles of the face or tongue are affected, causing drooling or grimacing
Posted on: Thu, 15 Aug 2013 17:19:48 +0000
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