Brain Injury/Cerebral Palsy Questions

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Brain Injury/Cerebral Palsy


What is Cerebral Palsy?

    Cerebral palsy is an umbrella term that covers a group of conditions, with widely varying disabilities.  The word “cerebral” comes from a part of the brain (the cerebrum) and “palsy” refers to a movement or motion disorder. Cerebral palsy is an impairment of your child’s motor skills which causes physical disability as your child develops. The severity of the disabilities depends to a large extent on what areas of the brain are affected.  Individuals with cerebral palsy may be completely “normal” from a mental standpoint, or they may have very severe impairments in thinking, awareness, perception, communication and behavior.  For more information, click here.



What Causes Brain Injuries During Birth?

    There are three primary ways for a brain injury to occur during or shortly after labor and delivery: (1) reduced oxygen; (2) trauma, or (3) reduced glucose.
    
    Two or more of these three can and sometimes do occur in the same delivery. That makes it difficult to sort out the primary event, that is, the mechanism that triggered the injury, because often the primary event will trigger other secondary responses that create or add to injury.  For example, reduced oxygen to the brain ultimately results in reduced glucose levels, and that adds to the injury. Or trauma can compress blood vessels, thereby causing decreased oxygenation, and it is the decreased oxygenation which is the primary event—the actual mechanism of injury.  

    For more information on how these three causes can lead to brain injury related to labor and delivery, click here.

 

What are the Types of Cerebral Palsy?

    There are four generally recognized classifications or types of cerebral palsy: (1) spastic; (2) ataxic, (3) athetoid and (4) dyskinetic. Spastic cerebral palsy is the most common, affecting about 70% of patients. For more information on the types, click here.


What Can My Child Expect in the Future?

    Cerebral palsy is non-progressive, which means that while original brain damage does not get worse, over time the symptoms get worse. People with cerebral palsy can have a genius level IQ or be severely mentally disabled, or anywhere in the spectrum between those two possibilities. Similarly, physical disabilities can range from the comparatively minor which allows a person to be self-sufficient and live independently, to those who may require 24/7 care. Where your child falls within these potential ranges naturally depends on the nature and extent of the injury. For more information, click here.