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What is Cerebral Palsy?

Cerebral palsy is the common name for a group of disorders that affect the brain and muscle movement. There are several types of cerebral palsy. Spastic cerebral palsy, athetoid or dyskinetic cerebral palsy, and ataxic cerebral palsy are the main types of the disorder. However, many people have a combination of any of these forms. The condition occurs during fetal development. One or more portions of the fetus' brain that controls motor skills do not completely develop. The result is an individual who may experience muscle tightness, spastic movements, involuntary movements, speech impediments, and other symptoms. When doctors first diagnosed cerebral palsy as a condition, they believed that it was an effect of premature or complicated birth. However, Sigmund Freud later found that the cerebral palsy began before birth during fecal development. He, then, proved that premature or difficult childbirth was actually an effect of cerebral palsy. Signs of cerebral palsy occur in early infancy. Parents notice that their children are not meeting developmental milestones such as sitting up, rolling over, crawling etc… Cerebral palsy is not a disease. It is a disorder. Though it is not curable, there are ways to lessen the symptoms and increase motor skills. Various methods such as surgery, medication, therapy or a combination of the three can help children learn to manage the symptoms of cerebral palsy. However, doctors are now taking a more proactive approach. They have linked the disorder with the Rh factor. Being Rh negative is a risk factor for developing cerebral palsy. Doctors can now immunize mothers and babies for this factor, thereby reducing the risk of developing the disorder.