CEREBRAL PALSY

What is it?

Cerebral palsy is caused by damage to one of the parts of the brain which controls and organises a person's movement and posture. This can happen before, during or after birth.

There are three different systems within the brain involved in controlling movement. Impairment can happen in one or more of these areas. The type of cerebral palsy which results depends on which area of the brain is most affected. There are four types of cerebral palsy:

• Spastic Cerebral Palsy (spasticity)
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• Athetoid Cerebral Palsy (athetosis)
• Ataxic Cerebral Palsy (ataxia)
• Dystonic Cerebral Palsy (dystonia)

What are the symptoms?

The most common and obvious effect is a problem in controlling movement and posture. Depending on which parts of the brain are affected, a person might also have sight or speech problems, epilepsy and perhaps learning disabilities (mental handicap).

Who gets it?

Almost 50% of children with CP are born early. Small pre-term (early) babies have vulnerable brains which may haemorrhage (bleed heavily).We do not know the reason for this.

Other causes include:

• the baby's brain not forming properly, often for no apparent reason
• lack of oxygen before, during or after birth or damage during delivery
• a genetic disorder which can be inherited
• an infection in the mother during the first few weeks of a baby's development in the womb
• an infection (e.g. meningitis) caught after birth
• an accident such as a car crash causing head injury. This is known as acquired CP.

What is the treatment?

We don't know enough yet about how and why cerebral palsy happens to cure or prevent it. However, because of improvements in medical care before and during birth, fewer babies have been born with certain types of cerebral palsy.

Although brain damage is not reversible, there are many treatments and therapies which can help people with cerebral palsy.

Equipment such as splints to help with walking, special buggies and wheelchairs, seating and standing frames, computers, and much more, can be provided to build on people's abilities.