CELEBRAL PALSY

CELEBRAL PALSY - Cerebral Palsy is considered a neurological disorder caused by a non-progressive brain injury or malformation that occurs while the child’s brain is under development. Cerebral Palsy primarily affects body movement and muscle coordination. Cerebral Palsy is actually caused by brain damage. The brain damage is caused by brain injury or abnormal development of the brain that occurs while a child’s brain is still developing — before birth, during birth, or immediately after birth. Cerebral Palsy affects body movement, muscle control, muscle coordination, muscle tone, reflex, posture and balance. It can also impact fine motor skills, gross motor skills and oral motor functioning. An individual with Cerebral Palsy will likely show signs of physical impairment. However, the type of movement dysfunction, the location and number of limbs involved, as well as the extent of impairment, will vary from one individual to another. It can affect arms, legs, and even the face; it can affect one limb, several, or all. Cerebral Palsy affects muscles and a person’s ability to control them. Muscles can contract too much, too little, or all at the same time. Limbs can be stiff and forced into painful, awkward positions. Fluctuating muscle contractions can make limbs tremble and shake.

Common Causes of Cerebral Palsy:

• Bacterial and viral infections
• Bleeding in the brain (hemorrhaging)
• A lack of oxygen to the brain before, during or after birth (asphyxia)
• Prenatal exposure to drugs and alcohol, mercury poisoning from fish and toxoplasmosis from raw/undercooked meat
• Head injuries sustained during birth or in the first few years of infancy

 SYMPTOMS

• Poor muscle control, tone, and reflex
• Inability to control body movements, posture, balance
• Inability to control body functions such as eating, urination and defecation
• Impairments of vision, hearing, speech, learning and intellectual development
• Frequent seizures
• Some children may be confined to a wheelchair or may be bed-bound and require invalid-type care.