What is Cerebral Palsy?

Doctors use the term cerebral palsy to refer to any one of a number of neurological disorders that appear in infancy or early childhood and permanently affect body movement and muscle coordination but aren't progressive, in other words, they don't get worse over time.  The term cerebral refers to the two halves or hemispheres of the brain, in this case to the motor area of the brain's outer layer (called the cerebral cortex), the part of the brain that directs muscle movement; palsy refers to the loss or impairment of motor function.    

Even though cerebral palsy affects muscle movement, it isn't caused by problems in the muscles or nerves.  It is caused by abnormalities inside the brain that disrupt the brain's ability to control movement and posture.

In some cases of cerebral palsy, the cerebral motor cortex hasn't developed normally during fetal growth.  In others, the damage is a result of injury to the brain either before, during, or after birth.  In either case, the damage is not repairable and the disabilities that result are permanent.      

Children with cerebral palsy exhibit a wide variety of symptoms, including: 

• lack of muscle coordination when performing voluntary movements (ataxia);
• stiff or tight muscles and exaggerated reflexes (spasticity);
• walking with one foot or leg dragging;
• walking on the toes, a crouched gait, or a "scissored" gait;
• variations in muscle tone, either too stiff or too floppy;
• excessive drooling or difficulties swallowing or speaking;
• shaking (tremor) or random involuntary movements; and
• difficulty with precise motions, such as writing or buttoning a shirt.

The symptoms of cerebral palsy differ in type and severity from one person to the next, and may even change in an individual over time.  Some people with cerebral palsy also have other medical disorders, including mental retardation, seizures, impaired vision or hearing, and abnormal physical sensations or perceptions.   

Cerebral palsy doesn't always cause profound disabilities.   While one child with severe cerebral palsy might be unable to walk and need extensive, lifelong care, another with mild cerebral palsy might be only slightly awkward and require no special assistance.