Cerebral palsy is a neurological disorder that results in impaired muscle coordination and movement of the body. While the severity of the disease can greatly vary, the disease is difficult to treat and can best be remedied by early detection and treatment. Mild cerebral palsy can be especially difficult to diagnose due to the diminished symptoms, often making it difficult to diagnose until later in life.
History
Cerebral palsy is a condition that results from brain injury either during pregnancy, during birth or shortly after. Patients with cerebral palsy have trouble with muscle coordination and body movement. Cerebral palsy is a blanket term because, unlike other disorders such as Down's syndrome, there can be many causes. In addition, the severity of the condition is variable and each case is unique both in the areas that are affected as well as the actual deficits that manifest.
Identification
Mild cerebral palsy results from brain damage that only results in minimal impairment. This often makes the disease difficult to diagnose, as the deficits and limitations may go unnoticed. In fact, many cases of mild cerebral palsy go undetected for years until the parents notice their children struggling to reach many milestones of advanced development. These delays in development usually arise from the physical complications of cerebral palsy.
Effects
The defects of cerebral palsy can manifest themselves in different ways, because the condition makes it difficult for the brain to relay certain messages and communications with muscles. In some cases an affected child will "toe-step," walking on his or her toes instead of moving flat-footed. Other symptoms can include difficulty in holding and lifting objects with one particular hand. The latter can be especially frustrating to parents because other actions that include the same muscles, such as holding a pencil, will not be affected. It is important to remember that the limitations created by cerebral palsy are neurological in origin and the child cannot simply "fix" them.
Considerations
Successful treatment of cerebral palsy depends heavily on early diagnosis and intervention. For some symptoms, corrective surgery can help alleviate the problem. In other cases, such as with toe-stepping, a plastic boot or other device can help correct the problem and train the muscles to work properly. Finally, physical therapy can sometimes be used for deficits that cannot be treated by surgical or device-related measures. As with all cases of cerebral palsy, the earlier the diagnosis, the better the outcome.
Misconceptions
In many ways, cases of mild cerebral palsy can be more difficult than more severe cases. The mildness of the symptoms often masks the cause of the disease, causing both the affected child and the parents to become frustrated with "clumsiness" and other physical problems. Since many cases of mild cerebral palsy involve no mental limitations, it can be difficult for the child to receive special considerations because he or she has no educational difficulties. In addition, a child who appears normal in every other way may struggle with atheltics and gym class, hurting his or her self-esteem. For parents of an afflicted child, it is important for both the child and the parents to remember that not every person is well-coordinated and that an affected child can still perform beyond his expectations.
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