Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy is a physical condition affecting movement. It is a permanent, non progressive condition that can range in severity from mild to severe. The muscles and limbs of a person with cerebral palsy are not damaged, however the passages relaying information from the brain to the muscles are. The damage to the brain either occurs prior to, during or soon after birth. This can result in muscle tightness, low muscle tone, in-coordination or a combination of these.

Symptoms and characteristics:

Cerebral palsy can affect all four limbs (quadriplegia), affect legs more than arms or hands (diplegia), affect both limbs on one side of the body (hemiplegia), or affect only the legs (paraplegia).

Varying levels of intellectual disability can also be associated with cerebral palsy, along with vision and hearing impairments and or seizures. These factors may contribute to a person’s capacity to communicate either by restricting the muscles used for facial expressions or the ability to articulate speech.

Each person experiences cerebral palsy uniquely.

(CP Australia 2007; Better Health Channel 2007; The Centre for Cerebral Palsy 2007; Scope 2006)

References:

Better Health Channel 2007, Cerebral palsy - causes and implications, State Government of Victoria, Melbourne, viewed 9 March 2007, http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Cerebral_palsy_causes_and_implications?open

CP Australia 2007, News, CP Australia Woodville, viewed 9 March 2007,
http://www.cpaustralia.com.au/news/index.html

The Centre for Cerebral Palsy 2007, What Cerebral Palsy is, The Centre for Cerebral Palsy, Perth, viewed 9 March 2007,
http://www.cpawa.com.au/content.php?page=3

Scope 2006, About Disability, Scope, Melbourne, viewed 9 March 2007,
http://www.scopevic.org.au/info_about.html

Links to specific types of Cerebral Palsy