Cerebral Palsy

By Diane Gayley
What is Cerebral Palsy?
Neurological disorder

Caused by brain injury or malformation while

the childs brain is under development

Impairment of motor function

Primarily affects body movement, muscle

control/coordination, muscle tone, reflex,
posture, and balance

Can also affect fine/gross motor skills, or oral

functioning
More About CP
Most people are born with it

Seizure disorders, intellectual impairments, and hearing or vision

impairments often accompany CP

It IS an impairment, commonly a disability

It is NOT a disease

Incurable, chronic, but not progressive

Non-life threatening. Most people are expected to live long and healthy
lives!
Examples
Every case is unique, but its classified by 4 main types:

Spastic (damage to motor cortex, stiff/exaggerated

movements)

Athetoid/Dyskinetic (damage to basal ganglia, often

have tremors)

Ataxic (damage to cerebellum, lack of

coordination/balance)

Mixed (exhibits symptoms of 2 or more CP types)

CP can affect whole body, or just one portion of the

body
Statistics
The most common childhood physical disability (nearly 764,000
people in the US have CP)

4 main types of CP: Spastic (70%), Athetoid/Dyskinetic (10%), Ataxic

(10%), and Mixed (10%).

2 in 3 people with CP can walk (some with mobility aids, others

entirely unaided)

3 in 4 people with CP can verbally communicate (sometimes with

assistive devices, sometimes without)
Cerebral Palsy Timeline
1830s: British surgeon William John Little began studying what will
later be known as cerebral palsy

1889: the name cerebral palsy is invented

1949: the United Cerebral Palsy Foundation is founded by Paramount

and ABC television president Leonard Goldenson

1980s: it is proven that CP occurs before/during/soon after birth

1990: Congress passed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

2002: first multi-state study on prevalence of cerebral palsy is

conducted
Accommodations
Mobility aids (walkers, crutches, wheelchairs,
motorized scooters)

Communication aids (electronic communication

boards, eye-tracking devices)

Adaptive writing/typing

Hearing or visual aids (hearing aids, microphones,

computer screens)

Nurse/aid present

Special education/IEP

Medications
The End
 Works Cited
http://www.cerebralpalsy.org/about-cerebral-palsy/definition

http://www.birthinjuryguide.org/cerebral-palsy/history/

http://www.cerebralpalsy.org/about-cerebral-palsy/history-and-origin/timeline

https://www.cerebralpalsyguide.com/cerebral-palsy/