Cerebral Palsy Case Study

Words: 530
Pages: 3

Cerebral Palsy is a disorder that affects muscle movement and in some case, can affect intellectual abilities caused by damage that occurs to the immature, developing brain, most often before birth. Cerebral Palsy is the most common motor disability in childhood. According to estimates from CDC’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network, about 1 in 323 children has been identified with Cerebral Palsy.
Every Cerebral Palsy case is different, so each case may have different symptoms and require different treatments. Symptoms of Cerebral Palsy that affects movement include: variations in muscle tone, such as being either too stiff or too floppy, stiff muscles and exaggerated reflexes, lack of muscle coordination, tremors or involuntary movements, slow, writhing movements, delays in speech development or difficulty speaking, excessive drooling or problems with swallowing. Children with Cerebral Palsy have trouble controlling their body movements and their speaking abilities.
Ways that Cerebral Palsy affect the brain includes: difficulty with vision and hearing, intellectual disabilities, seizures, abnormal touch or pain perceptions, oral diseases, mental health (psychiatric) conditions, urinary incontinence. Not only does Cerebral Palsy restrict body movements, but it restricts various mental abilities.
…show more content…
Treatments for Cerebral Palsy include: physical therapy, which focuses on improving independent motor skills. Occupational therapy which helps children improve their fine motor skills. Speech therapy which can teach children how to pronounce certain words and communicate more effectively. Medications which can help manage both movement issues and secondary conditions that develop due to Cerebral Palsy. Surgery which can correct movement problems. If treated properly, a person with Cerebral Palsy can have a normal