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Cerebral Palsy in Children

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Introduction

Delivering a beautiful and healthy baby is the dream of any expectant mother. While no one chooses the

condition they like their baby to be in, mostly are actually shocked when they realize that the new born

has a certain health condition or physical impairment. The most common condition in newborns is

celebrel palsy. It is estimated that over eighteen million people are living with celebral palsy worldwide

with a million of these in the United States alone. For most parents when they receive this diagnosis they

are left with more questions than answers. They experience strong emotion and confusion. Every loving

parent has to look for the best way to support their children. Every child born with celebral palsy is

unique and can be supported to fulfill their dreams and reach their highest potential. There are several

ways of supporting these children and help improve their quality of life. The signs of celebral palsy can

be studied leading to an early diagnosis and management dof the condition in children. This paper seeks

to identify what celebral persy is, its causes, medical interventions and management.

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What is Celebral Palsy

Celebral Parcy is a term used to refer to a group of disorders which affect a persons physical

movent which is caused by brain damage before or shortly after birth. It is a condition that

affects people differently affecting body movement, muscle coordination, reflex, balance, muscle

control, muscle tone and posture. It is permanent and life-long but some of its signs can worsen

or improve over time. CP is one of the most common lifelong disabilities existing today. It is

estimated that one every 323 babies are born with Celebral Palsy in the United States.

effects of CP on people

Celebral Palsy mostly affects a persons balance, posture and mobility while also having an

impact on a childs ability to eat, communicate or sleep. The part of the body that is affected by

this condion, the symptoms and severelity levels differ from one person to another. For example

one child might have weakness in one hand while another may have little to no control over their

movements. Children with Celebral Palsy experience unpredictable or uncontrolled movements

as a result of muscles being weak, stiff or tight some children experience severe CP experiencing

difficulties in breathing, swallowing, bladder and bowel control, head and neck control, eating

and have digestive problems.

The most common symptom of CP is mobility issues. It has been established that 1 in 3 children

with Celebral Palsy are likely to be unable to walk. Those at a greater risk are children with

intellectual disability, vision imparement,quadriplegia and epilepsy. Most people with CP find it

difficult to communicate due to inability to coordinate the muscles around their toungue and

mouth. Children with celebral palsy also have drinking and drinking issues as the condition

affects the muscles that open the mouth and move lips and the tongue. Other people have a
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condition known as dysphagia where they have difficulty in swallowing drinks and food. One in

fifteen children with CP are not able to take food through the mouth but rather need feeding

tubes.

Half of children diagnosed with CP are likely to have intellectual disability which in most cases

leads to physical impairment. This however does not mean that all people with physical

impairment have intellectual disability. They also experience learning difficulties such as short

attention span, language difficulties and perceptual difficulties. Celebral Palsy also causes vision

and hearing impairement. Although these two effects are quite rare among children

An estimated one in every four children with CP has epilepsy. The seizures affect speech,

physical and intellectual functioning. Medication can be used to treat epilepsy although some

medications affect a childs attention and behavior. Celebral palsy also causes abnormalities of

the spine which makes sitting, walking and standing difficult. Constipation and continence are

common issues for people with Celebral Palsy with one in four people having bladder control

problems. Mobility issues and eating problems often predisposes children with CP to

constipation.

Diagnosis

Being a complex disability, Celebral Palsy diagnosis is not an easy process. Most children born

with Celebral Palsy are not born prematurely thus need to check if they reach the usual infant

milestones. Early scans can be conducted to investigate the injury to the brain. This stage is

particularly premature and requires a general movement assessment. This has shown to be a

strong predictor of the severity of Celebral Palsy. Doctors look at a childs unusual postures like

a child favouring one side over the other.

Symptoms

There are several signs that indicate that a child has CP. However not all the sighns are visible

immediately after birth but become more obvious as a child develops. Some of these symptoms

are:

 Low muscle tone

 Feeling stiff or muscle spasms

 Poor reflexes,muscle control and posture

 Delayed development

 Swallowing or feeding difficulties

 A child preference to one side

The symptoms above are experienced by babies but they translate to toddlers who experience

difficulties in their physical development.

Treatments and interventions

Celebral palsy maybe a lifelong disability but there exists many interventions that can help aid

improving an individuals quality of life and reduce the negative impacts on the body. Children

with CP can be supported by their families and communities to reach their goals. Movement

issues can be addresd through orally delivered medices such as diazepam or injected such as the

Botulin toxin type A. surgical procedures such as SDR (Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy) is ussualy

conducted to reduce spacity in a childs lesg. Oyher surgical procedures are conducted to reduce

pain andto improve walking . occupational therapists and physiotherapists can focus on

impairments that affect movementthrough orthotics casts and muscle strengthening exercises.
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Communication isssues are solved through use of alternative and augmentative communication

sytems. Pain issues are treated through medication, cognitive-behavioral and massage therapies.

Chronic-behavioral therapy is also apllied to treat the condition by helping a person change how

they think about the pain and the wy they turn, feel and behave. Phsycological interventions are

also applied to help solve issues that arise due to lack of sleep. Behavioral and psychological

therapies are offered through mutual aid grouyp works and strength based therapies. Children

with nutrition issues such as eating and digestion can be fed through feeding tubes and other

medical interventions offered by medical specialists.

Causes of celebral palsy

There is not a single cause of celebral palsy that has been identified although stroke and

premature births are thought to be the most prominent causes. Most personal causes remain a

mistery though researchers have singled out complications during birth such as lack of oxygen as

a cause. Scientific research has established that certain sequences of events combine to accelerate

or cause injury to a child’s developing brain. It is however imprortant to note that although

premature birth is blamed for the condition it is the series of sequential events and casual

pathways that really causes Celebral Palsy. There exists risk factors that do not necessarily cause

the condition but rather increase chances of a positive Celebral Palsy diagnosis. They include:

 Very low weight of a newborn

 Premature birth that is a child born earlier than 37 weeks

 Deficiency of oxygen during pregnancy of during delivery

 Occerences of multiple children such as twins or triplets which increases chances of low

birth weight and prematurity

 Being male

 Jaundice occurrence shortly after birth.

 Incopartibility of blood group between baby and mother

 Mothers infection with diseases such as measles during early pregnancy

 Fetal, maternal and infant backterial infection attacking the childs central nervous system.

Most people often wonder whether CP is hereditary or genetic. Researchers have determined that

only 1 percent of people with celebral palsy have a sibling with the same disease. However

genetic predisposition such as heart problems, open a pathway for a person to get celebral palcy.

Conclution

Although every expectant mother desires to give birth toi a perfectly heathy child, they should be

ready to deal with issues arising from abnormal biths such as celebral palsy. CP is condition that

althpugh not treatable is easily managed though various medical interventions that help aid in

making life easier in children experiencing this disorder. It is important for the government t to

put in measures that ensure parents are sencitized on Celebral Palsy and the interventions that

should be taken to improve the quality of children with the condition.