Depending on a child’s age, there are different signs that may suggest the presence of cerebral palsy. A newborn infant with difficulty in suckling, evacuating the bowels, or breathing should be carefully evaluated, as these are all warning signs of cerebral palsy. Infants may also have abnormal reflexes. As an infant grows, consistent use of one part of the body over the other, or consistently favoring certain postures over others, may also be signs of cerebral palsy. An infant with cerebral palsy may be unusually floppy or stiff, or retain certain reflexes that are normally present at birth but typically disappear as a baby grows. Lack of facial expressions, not following movements with the eyes, not following sounds with head movements, and lack of a response to human voices also suggests something may be wrong. Infants and children with cerebral palsy may be unable to roll over, crawl, sit up, smile or walk or only be able to do so with help. Grasping or playing with toys may be impossible.
Other signs of cerebral palsy depend on the type of cerebral palsy a patient has. Spastic diplegics have legs that may cross at the knees and a typical ‘scissors’ gait. Patients with spastic hemiparesis have uncontrollable tremors in one half of the body. If athetoid cerebral palsy is present, slow writhing movements of the extremities, face or tongue may be present along with grimacing and drooling. Ataxic cerebral palsy patients have an unsteady, wide-based gait, difficulty performing fine motor tasks like buttoning a shirt, and intention tremors that occur while performing voluntary movements.
Because cerebral palsy can be difficult to diagnose, any sign of developmental delays, abnormal movements or abnormal posture in an infant or small child should immediately be brought to the attention of a physician.
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Types of Cerebral Palsy
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Cerebral palsy can be classified into four types: spastic, athetoid, ataxic and mixed. Spastic cerebral palsy is the most common form, accounting for between 70 and 80 percent of all cerebral palsy cases. Limb muscles are stiff and remain permanently contracted. This form of cerebral...
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Ataxic cerebral palsy accounts for five to ten percent of all cases of cerebral palsy. In this form of cerebral palsy, there is damage to a part of the brain called the cerebellum that helps maintain balance and coordination. When the cerebellum is damaged, it...
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Athetoid cerebral palsy is one of three types of cerebral palsy, and affects between ten and twenty percent of patients. This form of cerebral palsy is caused by damage to parts of the brain called the cerebellum or basal ganglia. These parts of the brain...
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From the several thousand cases of Cerebral Palsy reported around the world each year, about 10% of them are cases of Athetoid Cerebral Palsy. This disorder is exactly the opposite of spastic Cerebral Palsy wherein the muscles are too rigid. In Athetoid Cerebral Palsy, the...
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Cerebral Palsy is one of the most widespread brain-related disorders found in newborn or young children around the world. Cerebral Palsy is a permanent disorder that occurs when the brain undergoes damage either during pregnancy or soon after birth. As a result of this, the...
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