Symptoms of Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy is a type of disorder that affects the movement, balance and posture of the body.

Commonly, it is often referred to as 'brain paralysis'. The main cause of cerebral palsy is abnormal development or some damage to certain parts of the brain that regulate the body movement and muscle tone (the ability of contraction or relaxation of muscles). The symptoms of celebral palsy can vary from being mild to severe. The severity of symptoms depends on how badly the brain is damaged. There are different forms of cerebral palsy. Each of them has different symptoms. Some common types of cerebral palsy have been discussed below, with their symptoms.

Spastic Quadriplegia
This is one of the most severe form of cerebral palsy. It is caused when there is an extensive damage to the brain. Excessive stiffness in the muscles of the limbs are observed in spastic quadriplegia, which leads to inability in walking. On the other hand, the neck muscles are so loose that it becomes difficult to even support the head. Epileptic seizures occur quite frequently in this condition. Children living in such conditions, face speaking and learning difficulties as well.

Ataxic Cerebral Palsy
This condition severely affects a child's depth perception. It means the child is unable to judge the placing of any particular object with respect to his or her position. Children with ataxic cerebral palsy do not have the ability to balance their body. Their hands often shake a lot, especially, if they try to reach out for some object. They have problems in doing certain precise movements like tying a shoelace or writing. Their speech could also be slightly erratic, but the communication skills and intelligence do not get affected.

Athetoid Cerebral Palsy
This is also known as dyskinetic cerebral palsy. It can lead to both, increase and decrease in muscle tone. Therefore, the common symptoms of this condition are random and uncontrolled movements of the body. Maintaining the posture may become tough for children with athetoid or dyskinetic cerebral palsy. They are unable to control their vocal cords and tongue, which results in difficulty in speaking. Also, eating and drooling may also be the symptoms observed.

Spastic Hemiplagia
In spastic hemiplageia, the stiffness of muscles can be observed on one side of the body. This, often is referred to as, spasticity, which mostly affects the arm and the hand and sometimes the legs. Spastic hemiplagia can lead to abnormal curvature of the spinal column, called scoliosis. Children suffering from spastic hemiplageia are prone to epileptic seizures. They experience difficulty in speaking. However, the condition does not have any adverse effect on their intelligence.

Spastic Diplegia
The common symptom of spastic diplegia is stiffness in the muscles of the leg that makes walking difficult. Quite often, leg braces and walking frames are used to help the child walk. This type of cerebral palsy does not have any impact on the communication skills and the intelligence of the child.

Individuals living with cerebral palsy are capable of making improvement in their physical and mental ability. To do this, they need good physical and medical care. There are specific therapies like speech therapy, physical therapy and occupational therapy that can enable them to develop their skills and abilities.