Helping Children With Cerebral Palsy
You may have heard of cerebral palsy but where unsure about its symptoms or what causes it to happen. Children with cerebral palsy may not have across the board symptoms, so the condition is broken down into three different types of cerebral palsy. Each type exhibits its own set of unique symptoms. They are athetoid, spastic and ataxic. Symptoms of cerebral palsy in children can sometimes be hard to spot until the child has reached age three. When developmental milestones are not met, doctors and parents begin to question what is going on and that is usually when the diagnosis is made.
Breaking down the term "cerebral palsy" makes it easier to understand, as cerebral means brain, and palsy is any disorder of movement or posture. The brain is rapidly developing from the fetal stage in early pregnancy until a child is around three years old. Because cerebral palsy is a problem with the developing brain, it can happen during the pregnancy, during the birthing process or during a short period after birth. Typically, this condition is not known to affect a child once brain development is complete. This means that children with cerebral palsy will have signs of cerebral palsy by five years of age. If they are older than five and show no symptoms, then they are unlikely to have the condition.
As of this writing, no one really knows what if the exact cause of cerebral palsy. What researchers do know is that there are several factors found that contribute to the condition. Damage to the brain during developmental stages in utero is said to be a trigger of cerebral palsy. The areas of the brain that are affected are the ones that control motor movements. The biggest unanswered question is why the damage occurs in the first place?
The signs and symptoms of cerebral palsy are a large part of what defines the condition. Early symptoms that occur before a child turns three years old may indicate that the child hasn't developed proper motor skill functioning. That is because cerebral palsy in infants often times will trigger a developmental delay. Parents may notice that their child is not reaching developmental milestone such as rolling over, smiling, crawling, walking or sitting like other children. Other signs include unusual posture, abnormal muscle tone and a difficult pregnancy that involves fevers, bleeding and infection.
Understanding what cerebral palsy encompasses is the first step in understanding how to help children with cerebral palsy to better deal with their condition. The most aggressive approach to cerebral palsy is not with treatments, but with prevention in the first place. There are certain steps that can be taken in order to reduce the risk of a brain injury during pregnancy and childbirth. Infection prevention in the pregnant mother is a key factor. Making sure mom's-to-be take their prenatal vitamins and are in good physical health are other ways as well.
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