What is Cerebral Palsy?
Cerebral palsy is permanent neurological disorder in which a person's brain is not able to exercise normal control over muscle movement and coordination. Cerebral palsy is caused by a glitch or defect in the brain that impairs its ability to direct motor and muscle function. This "glitch" in the brain occurs when cells in the brain are damaged during fetal gestation, childbirth, or early infancy. Once damaged brain cells do not regenerate, so injury to the brain during this early developmental stage causes permanent disability. Although cerebral palsy can be caused by developmental abnormalities, it is not a genetically inherited condition. Rather, cerebral palsy is considered a "birth injury" because it is the result of injury to a fetus or baby normally occurring during gestation or labor and delivery.
The neurological condition now known as cerebral palsy is not new. It has actually been around for thousands of years. In fact, cerebral palsy was first scientifically documented by the ancient Greeks in the 5th century B.C. The term "cerebral palsy" was first coined in the late 1800s by at the renowned Johns Hopkins Hospital. The root word "cerebral" refers to the brain and "palsy" which means paralysis or weakness. So cerebral palsy basically means "brain paralysis." Today cerebral palsy is one of the most common movement disabilities in the world, impacting the lives of nearly 5 million people.
The neurological condition now known as cerebral palsy is not new. It has actually been around for thousands of years. In fact, cerebral palsy was first scientifically documented by the ancient Greeks in the 5th century B.C. The term "cerebral palsy" was first coined in the late 1800s by at the renowned Johns Hopkins Hospital. The root word "cerebral" refers to the brain and "palsy" which means paralysis or weakness. So cerebral palsy basically means "brain paralysis." Today cerebral palsy is one of the most common movement disabilities in the world, impacting the lives of nearly 5 million people.
The nature and severity of physical impairments caused by cerebral palsy can vary significantly for each individual. A child with a mild case of cerebral palsy may only have a slight limp or somewhat awkward movements or speech. Someone with moderate cerebral palsy will likely require some type of mobility aid (e.g., walker, forearm crutches) in order to move around independently. The most severe cases of cerebral palsy result in complete physical impairment and usually leave the child confined to a wheelchair.
Although impaired physical movement is the primary symptom of cerebral palsy, the damage in the brain can also cause other types of impairments. These non-movement impairments are called "co-occurring" disabilities. More than half of children with cerebral palsy suffer from one or more co-occurring impairment.
Co-Occurring Impairments:
Although impaired physical movement is the primary symptom of cerebral palsy, the damage in the brain can also cause other types of impairments. These non-movement impairments are called "co-occurring" disabilities. More than half of children with cerebral palsy suffer from one or more co-occurring impairment.
Co-Occurring Impairments:
- Intellectual Delay: about 40% of children with cerebral palsy also suffer from some level of intellectual delay, making it the most common co-occurring impairment.
- Epilepsy: epilepsy is the second most common co-occurring impairment associated with cerebral palsy. Approximately 30% of children with CP suffer from epilepsy or epileptic seizures.
- Impaired Vision: another common co-occurring condition with cerebral palsy is severe vision impairment. Around 15% of children with CP have impaired vision that cannot be easily corrected with glasses.
4 Types of Cerebral Palsy
There are 4 separate and distinct types or classifications of cerebral palsy. Each separate type of cerebral palsy is defined by the specific type of movement impairment and area of the body that is affected. The 4 types of cerebral palsy are: Spastic, Dyskinetic, Ataxic, and Mixed.
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SPASTIC CP:
Spastic cerebral palsy is the predominate type of CP. More than 75% of all cerebral palsy cases are classified as spastic CP. The hallmark of spastic CP is excessive muscle stiffness in a specific group of muscles in the body. The brain sends conflicting signals to the muscles causing them to stiffen and lock up instead of moving together. Spastic CP cases are categorized into 1 of 3 sub types based on what areas of the body are impaired:
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DYSKINETIC CP:
This type of cerebral palsy causes muscles to suffer from excessive stiffness (spasticity) and excessive lack of muscle tone (hypotonia). The result is a disabling lack of muscle coordination and control that causes slow, writhing and twisting and other types of involuntary muscle movements in the arms and legs. ATAXIC CP: Ataxic cerebral palsy is characterized by an extreme lack of balance and overall coordination, particularly when attempting fine motor activities like buttoning a shirt, using scissors or writing. Most children with this type of CP also have difficulty walking independently because they lack the necessary coordination. MIXED CP: Some cases of cerebral palsy involve a blend 2 of the 3 primary types. These cases are classified as mixed CP. Spastic-dyskinetic is the most common type of mixed CP combination. 
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How Does Cerebral Palsy Affect People?
All voluntary movements of the human body, from walking to speaking, are controlled and coordinated by the brain which communicates with muscles in the body by sending electrical signals across a complex network of nerve pathways. People with cerebral palsy, a glitch in their brain hardware that disrupts the brain's communication with certain muscle groups. Instead of transmitting normal movement signals, the cerebral palsy brain sends out distorted and conflicting impulse signals which confuse the muscles. The end result is basically the same for all people with cerebral palsy: they are not able to move their bodies normally.
This abnormal movement is often limited to one section of the body. For instance, someone with spastic cerebral palsy in the lower body may have severe impairment in their legs and perfectly normal movement above the waist. In other cases, however, cerebral palsy may impact movement over the entire body. Even within the impacted section of the body, cerebral palsy may impair certain muscle functions more than others. So if you have 3 people with cerebral palsy in the upper body, the first may have to most severe impairment in their hands/arms leaving them unable to write or button a shirt; the second may have pronounced speech abnormalities; and the third may suffer from both impairments. The extent and severity of impairment also tends to vary significantly in each individual case. Some children with cerebral palsy may only suffer from minor movement impairments with no co-occurring conditions; while others with the same type of cerebral palsy may be completely physically disabled and confined to a wheelchair with numerous co-occurring conditions.
This abnormal movement is often limited to one section of the body. For instance, someone with spastic cerebral palsy in the lower body may have severe impairment in their legs and perfectly normal movement above the waist. In other cases, however, cerebral palsy may impact movement over the entire body. Even within the impacted section of the body, cerebral palsy may impair certain muscle functions more than others. So if you have 3 people with cerebral palsy in the upper body, the first may have to most severe impairment in their hands/arms leaving them unable to write or button a shirt; the second may have pronounced speech abnormalities; and the third may suffer from both impairments. The extent and severity of impairment also tends to vary significantly in each individual case. Some children with cerebral palsy may only suffer from minor movement impairments with no co-occurring conditions; while others with the same type of cerebral palsy may be completely physically disabled and confined to a wheelchair with numerous co-occurring conditions.