Overview:
Cerebral palsy is not a disease or an illness. It is a disability caused by damage to the brain that can take place before, during, or in the early days after birth. There are many causes of cerebral palsy which include an infection while still in the womb, such as the pregnant mother contracting German measles, a difficult birth, a genetic disorder, a bleed in the baby’s brain, or the baby’s brain forms abnormally for no apparent reason.
Damage to the brain may not only affect the child physically, but may result in visual, perceptual, auditory and learning disabilities. Some children may also have seizures (epilepsy). The physical disability may affect the child’s interaction with and exploration of the world about him. It can also affect the child’s ability to learn and develop intellectually, although this can often be minimised if the appropriate management is given.
The symptoms:
Most children with cerebral palsy have either spasticity or athetosis or a combination of the two.
Children with spasticity (hypertonus) feel stiff and may have difficulty moving, although their muscles are not paralysed. Some movement is possible but the variety is limited. This limitation prevents the child from participating in many activities. It is often difficult or impossible for children to stop themselves from falling if they lose balance.
Children with athetosis move too much. They may have difficulty controlling their movements or maintaining their posture.
Cerebral palsy affects the messages sent between the brain and the muscles. It is often difficult for a doctor to predict accurately how a young child with cerebral palsy will be affected later in life. Cerebral palsy is not progressive – the condition itself does not become more severe as the child gets older, although some of the effects on the body may become more noticeable and function may deteriorate.
* Children with cerebral palsy may have problems with constipation, spasms or
sleeping. The doctor or health visitor should be able to offer advice about this.
* People with cerebral palsy may have problems with speech and associated
difficulties in chewing and swallowing. They may also have problems
understanding the spoken word. A speech and language therapist may be able to
offer advice.
* Some people with cerebral palsy may also have epilepsy. Often medication can
help to manage this.
* Some people with cerebral palsy may have difficulty distinguishing and
comparing shapes. This is to do with visual or spatial perception, which is about a
person’s ability to interpret what they have seen and not a problem with their
eyesight.
* People with cerebral palsy may also have some form of learning difficulties,
making them slow to learn. The difficulties can be mild, moderate or severe.
There may be a ‘specific learning difficulty’ or problems with a particular activity
such as reading, drawing or arithmetic because a specific area of the brain is
affected.
* It is important to remember that even someone severely physically affected by
cerebral palsy may have average or above average intelligence.
What causes Cerebral Palsy?
The main causes are as follows:
* Infection during pregnancy
* Starvation of Oxygen to the brain
* Premature or difficult birth
* A cerebral (brain) bleed during pregnancy or birth
* Abnormal brain development
* A genetic link (very rare)
Is there a cure?
Today, there is no cure for cerebral palsy. If children are positioned well from an early age and supported to move in a way that helps them to improve their posture, movement and muscle control, they can develop and achieve more independence for themselves as they grow. Physical therapy is also beneficial.
How Stepping Out can help:
Stepping Out have the facilities and staff to care for anybody suffering from Cerebral Palsy. Our staff are both experienced and qualified to handle such cases. Stepping Out are able to provide home care, visiting and helping with daily tasks which an Cerebral Palsy sufferer may find difficult.
Or, in extreme cases where the sufferer needs full-time support, Stepping Out provide their own 24-hour staffed housing accommodation, which are primarily based in north London and Hertfordshire.
Also, Stepping Out now have a mobility and disability aid store. Our specially chosen products will benefit anybody with Cerebral Palsy, physical and mental disabilities or mobility problems.