CEREBRAL PALSY

BY: K A I L E Y
MCSTEEN
 INTRODUCTION TO CEREBRAL PALSY
Cerebral Palsy is a group of disorders that affect a persons ability to
maintain balance and posture. A persons movement is also
affected.
Cerebral Palsy is also referred to as CP. The word Cerebral has a
meaning that relates to the brain and how it functions. The word
Palsy means weakness or issues with the muscles.
All people that are diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy have problems
with posture and moving, however some people with CP also have
problems with hearing, vision, speech, and in some cases,
intellectual disability.
There are four main types of Cerebral Palsy.

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INTRODUCTION CONTINUED
The first type of Cerebral Palsy is Spastic CP. In
this type, a person experiences stiffness in the
arms and legs. This leads to difficulty with
walking, and a persons movement can be
awkward.
The second type of Cerebral Palsy is Dyskinetic
CP. A person with this type of CP has trouble
controlling the movement of their hands and
feet. Their ability to swallow and talk is also
affected.
The third type of Cerebral Palsy is Ataxic CP. A
person has issues with balance and coordination
if they are diagnosed with this type of CP.
The fourth type of Cerebral Palsy is Mixed CP. In
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this type, a person has a mix of all three types
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HOW DOES A PERSON GET CEREBRAL PALSY?
Doctors are not entirely sure what the exact cause of Cerebral
Palsy is. However, doctors do know that CP is the result of
some form of brain damage that occurs during the
development of a baby.
Babies that are underweight at birth are more susceptible to
having CP. This is also true of babies that do not receive the
right amount of oxygen at birth.
The brain damage that causes CP can occur before birth,
during birth, within a month after birth, or during the first year
of the childs life.
In many cases, the specific cause is unknown. The symptoms
of CP may not show up in a child until they are three or four
years old.
EARLY SIGNS OF CEREBRAL PALSY
Some of the early signs
of CP include:
Stiffness in the joints
The body feels floppy
The inability to bring
the hands together
Balance and
coordination are
lacking
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HOW DOES CEREBRAL PALSY AFFECT THE BODY/MIND?
Cerebral Palsy affects both the body and the
mind in various different ways.
Some of the physical effects that CP can have on
the body include abnormal reflexes, stiffness of
the limbs, abnormal posture, and unsteady
walking.
Another common thing that can happen is an eye
muscle imbalance, in which the eyes do not focus
on the same object.
Cerebral Palsy affects the way that a person
thinks. The damage on the brain that caused a
persons CP can also lead to learning disabilities.
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The brain does not process information as quickly m/wp-
as it should because the nerves that send content/uploads/2014/11/orig
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py.jpg
A persons speech patterns and ability to swallow
would be delayed.
DOES CEREBRAL PALSY SPREAD?
Cerebral Palsy is not contagious, so this means that
people that do have the disease can not spread it to
other people.
For example, a mother that has CP can not pass it on to
her unborn baby.
Brain damage is not spread through human contact.
Cerebral Palsy is a disease that only affects the person
that has it.
CP is not a genetic disorder, and it has nothing to do
with genes.
A person could increase their likely hood of developing
CP through accidents, abuse, and medical malpractice.
HOW CAN CEREBRAL PALSY BE TREATED?
Cerebral Palsy is a disease that can not be cured.
Certain types of treatment can be done to those
who have CP, so they can reach their full
potential.
If the doctors diagnose a person with CP, then
they will work with the family of that person to
develop the best plan for the person.
Some treatments that could be given are
medicines, physical therapy, speech therapy, and
surgery.
There is no certain treatment that will work for
every person that has Cerebral Palsy. Each http://www.injurylawyerom
person receives unique treatment. aha.net/wp-
content/uploads/2016/03/C
A person with an extreme case of Cerebral Palsy erebral-Palsy-
might have a short life expectancy, but they Treatments.jpg
would not be killed right away because of
Cerebral Palsy.
5 INTERESTING FACTS
If a person is diagnosed with CP as a young child, then the
problems with their brain will not get any worse as they get older.
Puberty can be especially challenging for someone with CP. Rapid
bone growth can cause the persons muscles to become tighter.
Cerebral Palsy caused by brain damage that occurred before or
during birth is known as congenital CP. 85%-95% of Cerebral
Palsy is congenital.
A person with CP can also become blind or deaf because of the
damaged nerves.
Approximately 17 million people have Cerebral Palsy in the world
today.
 WORKS CITED
"Cerebral Palsy." KidsHealth. Ed. Larissa Hirsch. The Nemours
Foundation, Aug. 2015. Web. 09 Apr. 2017.
<http://kidshealth.org/en/teens/story- cerebral-palsy.html?ref=search#>.

"Facts About Cerebral Palsy." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 13 July 2015. Web. 07
Apr. 2017. <https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/cp/facts.html>.

Mayo Clinic Staff. "Cerebral Palsy." Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for
Medical Education and Research. Web. 7 Apr. 2017.
<http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/cerebral-
palsy/home/ovc-20236549>.