Cerebral Palsy Questions & Answers

What is cerebral palsy?

What causes it?

How is cerebral palsy treated?

Is it curable?

What are some of the signs and symptoms of cerebral palsy?

Will it get worse as my child gets older?

How can I prevent it from affecting my unborn baby?

I've heard that cerebral palsy is sometimes the result of a birth injury.

Can people of any age get cerebral palsy?

How common is cerebral palsy?

What is cerebral palsy?
Cerebral palsy is an umbrella-like term used to describe a group of chronic disorders impairing control of movement that appear in the first few years of life and generally do not worsen over time. The disorders are caused by faulty development of or damage to motor areas in the brain that disrupts the brain's ability to control movement and posture. Cerebral palsy is neither a disease nor a genetic disorder. Cerebral palsy is a condition with many possible causes, such as birth trauma or brain injury, but it is not contagious or inherited.

What causes it?
The most common cause of cerebral palsy is damage to the brain sustained during the birthing process, which could be through malpractice or negligence on behalf of the hospital. However, in many other cases no cause has been identified. Sometimes, infection or illness in the mother during pregnancy can result in the baby having cerebral palsy. Many cases begin in the pre-natal period before birth.

How is cerebral palsy treated?
There is no one, standard therapy that works on everyone. Drugs can be used to control seizures and muscle spasms, special braces can compensate for muscle imbalance. Surgery, mechanical aids to help overcome impairments, counseling for emotional and psychological needs, and physical, occupational, speech, and behavioral therapy may be employed.

Is it curable?
No. However, with therapy and treatements, many patients can enjoy near-normal lives if their neurological problems are properly managed.

What are some of the signs and symptoms of cerebral palsy?
Most children begin to exhibit symptoms of cerebral palsy before they are 3years old. Symptoms include difficulty with fine motor tasks (such as writing or using scissors), difficulty maintaining balance or walking, involuntary movements. The symptoms differ from person to person and may change over time. Some people with cerebral palsy are also affected by other medical disorders, including seizures or mental impairment, but cerebral palsy does not always cause profound handicap. Infants with cerebral palsy are frequently slow to reach developmental milestones such as learning to roll over, sit, crawl, smile, or walk.

Will it get worse as my child gets older?
No. Cerebral palsy manifests within the first few years, and then tends to stabilize quickly. It is not known to worsen as the child get older.

How can I prevent it from affecting my unborn baby?
The best way to try and prevent cerebral palsy is to get quality prenatal care throughout your pregnancy and be careful about your health and avoid infections or illness wherever possible. Once your baby is born, the recommended vaccinations can help to avoid disease that can result in this disorder.

I've heard that cerebral palsy is sometimes the result of a birth injury.
A birth injury is suffered by the infant at the time of birth or soon after birth when the infant is still in the care of medical professionals. A significant number of the cerebral palsy cases that occur as the result of a birth injury can be prevented. Medical negligence, such as careless handling of the child's cranium or an undetected oxygen blockage in the child's brain, is a factor in these preventable cases. Cerebral palsy is often the result of human error and malpractice, but this can often be difficult to prove. In addition to this, the hospital is likely to have one or more specialist lawyers working for them in order to dispute your claims and get out of making any settlement.

Can people of any age get cerebral palsy?
Cerebral palsy is by definition an affliction that occurs while the brain is under development. 80 percent of all cases occur before the baby is one month old. However, there are other forms of brain damage one may acquire later in life that have symptoms similar to cerebral palsy.

How common is cerebral palsy?
It is estimated that 500,000 people in the United States have cerebral palsy. About two to three out of every 1,000 children over age three have the disorder, and each year 8,000 infants and nearly 1,500 preschoolers are diagnosed with cerebral palsy.