Scope defines Cerebral Palsy (CP) as-
"a condition which affects movement, posture and co-ordination. These problems may be seen at or around the time of birth or may not become
obvious until early childhood. Cerebral palsy is a wide-ranging condition and can affect people in many different ways."
The National Institue of Clinical Excellence defines this condition as-
"a general term for permanent brain disorders that originate during pregnancy, birth or early life; 75% of patients have lower-limb
spasticity. Cerebral palsy is associated with abnormalities of movement, balance and posture; there may also be language and visual difficulties."
There are three main types of cerebral palsy:
- Spastic cerebral palsy. This entails the muscles becoming stiff making the joints difficult to move. This is the most common form of cerebral palsy
and can affect different parts of the body. Spastic hemiplegia refers to where only one side of the body is affected. Injury to the left side of the brain
will cause a right hemiplegia whereas injury to the right side of the brain will cause a left hemiplegia. Spastic diplegia refers to where both sides
of the body are affected but the lower limbs are affected more than
the upper extremities. Spastic quadriplegia is where the whole body is affected and all four limbs are affected equally.
- Athetoid (or dykenetic) cerebral palsy. People with athetoid cerebral palsy have muscles that go from floppy to stiff in an uncontrollable manner. Their
speech may be hard to understand and they may have problems controlling the tongue, breathing and vocal chords. Hearing problems may also occur.
- Ataxic cerebral palsy. This makes it difficult for people to balance. Someone with ataxic cerebral palsy may find it difficult to judge their
body position relative to other things around them. The whole body is affected. Most people with this condition will be able to walk albeit unsteadily. They
may have irregular speech and shaky hand movements.
Approximately one in every 400 children is affected by CP, 1800 babies are diagnosed with the condition in Great Britain each year. Males are more
likely to be affected than females. The likelihood of CP occurring increases with premature or very low-weight babies.
