Most children with cerebral palsy seem to have a normal development and birth, but wind up being diagnosed later on. Premature birth is one of the risk factors of cerebral palsy, which includes babies who are born less than 37 weeks into the pregnancy (as opposed to 40). Babies who weigh less than 5.5 pounds are also at a higher risk of developing CP. Sometimes when there are multiple babies fighting for position or when babies are born in a feet-first position, the likelihood of a birthing accident is increased. Mothers with mental retardation, seizures, thyroid problems or exposure to toxins are also more likely to have a CP baby.
Spastic Cerebral Palsy is the most common type of CP. With this diagnosis, children often have rigid muscles, jerky movements and difficulty walking. Spastic diplegia is a condition where the child’s hip and leg muscles are very tight, with the legs crossed at the knee, which makes it extremely difficult to walk. Another condition, called spastic hemiplegia, is characterized by arms, legs and hands that are stiff or do not develop properly, which sometimes results in leg braces. Spastic quadriplegia is the most severe condition and affects the entire body and is usually accompanied by seizures, mental retardation and extreme difficulty walking or talking.
Some types of cerebral palsy are immediately identifiable at birth. For instance, hypotonic CP (caused by brain damage or malformations during development) is characterized by the baby’s inability to hold up the head, delayed motor skills and other muscle control problems. Likewise, congenital CP is considered a birth defect that occurred during development, rather than an inherited condition or a medical error. There is another type that a child may be born with as a result of a birthing accident. This type is called Erb’s Palsy (or sometimes brachial plexus palsy) and this happens when a baby’s shoulders hit the pelvic bone too abruptly, thus severing or stretching the nerves. When the baby is born, he or she will have no muscle control or feeling in the affected arm.
In addition to the aforementioned symptoms, any type of cerebral palsy may be subject to certain complications. For instance, severe muscle tightening may cause the muscles to pull so tightly on the bones that the limb curls in, the joints may deform and possibly even dislocate. Many children have trouble swallowing, so they are especially prone to malnutrition. Speech, vision, hearing and dental problems are commonly associated with CP. Two-thirds of children with cerebral palsy suffer from mental retardation and 50% are prone to seizures of some sort.
