What is cerebral palsy?
Cerebral means having to do with the brain. Palsy means
weakness or problems with using the muscles. Cerebral
palsy is a group of disorders that affect a person's ability
to move and keep their balance and posture as a result of
an injury to parts of the brain, or as a result of a problem
with development. Often the problem happens before birth
or soon after being born. Cerebral palsy causes different
types of disabilities in each child. A child may simply be
a little clumsy or awkward, or unable to walk at all.
What are some of the signs of cerebral palsy?
The signs of cerebral palsy vary greatly because there
are many different types and levels of disability. The main
sign that your child might have cerebral palsy is a delay
reaching the motor or movement milestones. If you see
any of these signs, call your child's doctor or nurse.
A child over 2 months with cerebral palsy might:
- have difficulty controlling head when picked up
- have stiff legs that cross or "scissor" when picked up
A child over 6 months with cerebral palsy might:
- continue to have a hard time controlling head when picked up
- reach with only one hand while keeping the other in a fist
A child over 10 months with cerebral palsy might:
- crawl by pushing off with one hand and leg while dragging the opposite hand and leg
- not sit by himself or herself
A child over 12 months with cerebral palsy might:
- not crawl
- not be able to stand with support
A child over 24 months with cerebral palsy might:
- not be able to walk
- not be able to push a toy with wheels
What causes cerebral palsy?
Cerebral palsy is caused by a problem in the brain that
affects a child's ability to control his or her muscles.
Problems in different parts of the brain cause problems in
different parts of the body. There are many possible
causes of problems, such as genetic conditions, problems
with the blood supply to the brain before birth, infections,
bleeding in the brain, lack of oxygen, severe jaundice,
and head injury.
What can I do if I think my child
might have cerebral palsy?
If you or your doctor have
concerns about cerebral palsy, you can seek the help of
a specialist such as a developmental pediatrician or
child neurologist, and you can contact your local early
intervention agency (for children under 3) or public
school (for children 3 and older). To find out who to
speak to in your area, you can contact the National
Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities by
logging on to
http://www.nichcy.org/ or calling
1-800-695-0285. In addition, the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) has links to information for
families (www.cdc.gov/ncbddd).
To help your child reach his or her full potential, it is very
important to get help for him or her as early as possible!
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