Cerebral Palsy
Tuesday, July 8, 2008



As early as the mid 1800’s an English surgeon named William Little wrote the first medical descriptions and the first documentation and information on cerebral palsy. Little wrote of a puzzling disorder that affected children in the first years of life, causing stiff, spastic muscles in their legs and to a lesser degree, their arms. These children had difficulty grabbing objects and learning to crawl and walk. Their conditions did not improve as they grew up nor did it become worse. Their condition, which was called Little's disease for many years, is now known as spastic diplegia. It is one of several disorders that affect control of movement due to developmental brain injury. These conditions are grouped together under the term cerebral palsy.

However, in 1897 Sigmund Freud, world famous psychiatrist, disagreed with William Little and believed there was more than to it than Little’s information on cerebral palsy. Freud said that children with cerebral palsy were subject to other problems such as mental retardation, visual disturbances, and seizures. Freud believed that the condition’s root was during the brain’s development in the womb. Freud suggested that difficult birth was merely a symptom of deeper issues that influence fetal development. Freud’s observations were not highly regarded, as the belief that birth complications were the cause of cerebral palsy remained popular among families, physicians, and medical researchers up until two decades ago. Over the last century and a half doctors have built upon Little’s first observations as well as Freud’s astonishing theory and today, through science’s advancements, they have much more information on cerebral palsy.

Cerebral palsy is a very diverse and complex condition with varying degrees, from mild to severe. This means that each specific case of cerebral palsy is as individual as the people themselves. Cerebral palsy is characterized by an inability to fully control motor function, particularly muscle control and coordination. ‘Cerebral’ means that the cause of difficulties lay in the brain, not the muscles as originally thought. ‘Palsy’ means having problems with movement and posture, or motor control impairment.

Depending on which areas of the brain have been damaged, one or more of the following may occur: muscle tightness or spasticity; involuntary movement; disturbance in gait (walk) or mobility, difficulty in swallowing and problems with speech. In addition, the following symptoms are sometimes associated with cerebral palsy: abnormal sensation and perception; impairment of sight, hearing or speech; seizures; and/or mental retardation. Other problems that may arise are difficulties in feeding, bladder and bowel control, problems with breathing because of postural difficulties, skin disorders because of pressure sores, and learning disabilities.

With new information on cerebral palsy, new techniques and treatments are being practiced. Botox, or botulism toxin, is the newest treatment to show high success rates. The Botulism toxin relieves cerebral palsy symptoms by reducing tightness in muscles, which allows better control of movement, and increasing the stretch of muscles, reducing the risk of permanent muscle contractions. In recent tests, some children were even able to write with a pen or use a computer touch screen to communicate for the first time. The continuous finding of new information on cerebral palsy leaves the door wide open for the future of cerebral palsy treatment.

  • Cerebral palsy is a broad term used to describe conditions whereby brain trauma adversely affects a child's motor abilities.

  • The United Cerebral Palsy Associations estimate that more than 500,000 Americans have Cerebral Palsy.

  • Cerebral palsy is classified into four broad categories: Spastic, Athetoid (or dyskinetic), Ataxic, and Mixed.

  • Spastic cerebral palsy affects 70 to 80 percent of patients and is characterized by stiff or permanently contracted muscles .

  • Athetoid cerebral palsy affects 10 to 20 percent of patients and is characterized by uncontrolled, slow, writhing movements .

  • Ataxic cerebral palsy is a rare form that affects 5 to 10 percent of patients. This form of cerebral palsy affects the sense of depth and perception and results in poor coordination and difficulty with quick or precise movements .

  • Mixed cerebral palsy occurs when a patient has symptoms of two or more of these forms. Many combinations are possible, but the most common mixed form is a blend of the spastic and athetoid forms .

  • A number of other medical disorders are associated with cerebral palsy including: mental impairment, seizures or epilepsy, growth problems, impaired vision or hearing, and abnormal sensation or perception .

  • In the United States, a minority- 10 to 20 percent- of the children who have cerebral palsy acquire the disorder after birth .

  • The majority of children with cerebral palsy develop the condition during prenatal development or childbirth . Many of the causes of cerebral palsy at these stages are preventable.

  • Brain damage in the first few months or years of life can cause acquired cerebral palsy . Causes of early brain damage can include brain infection (for example, meningitis or viral encephalitis) and head injury (for example, from a motor vehicle accident, a fall, or child abuse).

  • Congenital cerebral palsy is present at birth. Some of the common causes include infections during pregnancy, jaundice in the infant, Rh incompatibility, severe oxygen shortage in the brain, trauma to the head during labor and delivery, and stroke .

  • In many cases, cerebral palsy is preventable and may be due to medical negligence.

  • Low birth- weight babies are 100 times more likely to develop cerebral palsy than normal birthweight infants are.

  • There is currently no cure for cerebral palsy , but treatments can be used to manage this condition and help a child reach his or her potential. This treatments and therapies include physical therapy, occupational therapy, medicine, surgery, braces, and more.

  • The average lifetime cost for a person with cerebral palsy totals nearly $1 million over and above the costs experienced by a person without the disability.

Cerebral Palsy IEP

Teaching a child with cerebral palsy requires patience, experience and knowledge. The severity of cerebral palsy varies greatly from child to child so it's difficult to lay out a general course of education. Teaching children with cerebral palsy usually requires individually tailored education programs combined with various types of therapy.

Many parents worry about teaching their child with cerebral palsy. Concerns range from how their child will be viewed by a "mainstream" teacher to how their child's teacher with experience in developmental difficulties can be most effective.

Since cerebral palsy is a non progressive disorder, extensive initial testing is crucial to determine the severity of both physical and mental symptoms. Any future teacher of a cerebral palsy child should have access to all initial test results. This information assists teachers in developing individualized educational and therapeutic programs specifically geared toward maximizing a cerebral palsy child's improvement.

To help a cerebral palsy child in the early years, most teaching focuses on functional gains in movement. Intense repetitive physical therapy helps cerebral palsy children learn needed movement skills. Teaching should focus on progress and positive change in a child's current abilities rather than in lessening a specific cerebral palsy disability. For example, a teacher might encourage a cerebral palsy student to participate in activities which require two-hands rather than focusing only on the use of the disabled limb.

As with mainstream students, a cerebral palsy child's mental capacity varies. Some can participate on an even playing field with mainstream kids and some have degrees of mental retardation or learning difficulties. Each child should be encouraged and challenged to become as mentally active as possible from an early age.
Teaching Cerebral Palsy Children in Mainstream Schools

If academically possible, a cerebral palsy child should attend a mainstream school. The results are usually positive for both the child and their classmates, especially if the child is incorporated at an early age. Some parents worry their cerebral palsy child might not be able to keep up with mainstream classes. However, experts find few accommodations need be made if a cerebral palsy child is not extensively cognitively disabled. Generally, only slight changes in teaching and testing procedures are required for a cerebral palsy child to have an equal opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge. Mainstream teachers shouldn't need to raise or lower instructional difficulty or curriculum standards. Usually they only need to allow reasonable changes; such as providing oral instead of written exams or more time to complete required work.
Teaching Standards for Disabled Students

Education for disabled students is governed by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA.) This Act sets down guidelines intended to help insure teaching standards for disabled children in public schools. Teachers used to teaching in developmentally disabled classrooms will often be more assistive in the education of a cerebral palsy child. Support for the family of a cerebral palsy child is often more robust at schools specializing in teaching children with disabilities as well. Specialized schools usually have a person knowledgeable in helping parents design a teaching curriculum which maximizes the education potential of a disabled child.

When speaking with a cerebral palsy child's teacher, the most important things to remember are to ask questions and ask for help. Most teachers have a special love for teaching students and are happy to help parents who feel the same way.
Tips about the Physical Aspects of Teaching a Cerebral Palsy Child

* View the classroom as if you were going to have to navigate it in a wheelchair or walker.
* Make sure the classroom is set up to provide accessible resources for someone in a wheelchair or with a limited range of movement.
* Try to have a way to secure paper or moveable objects to the workspace so they can be utilized without having to be secured by another hand.
* Look around for areas where a cerebral palsy student might benefit from additional support, like a handrail.
* Understand a cerebral palsy child might require additional time to reach the classroom or get set up for the class.
* Insure the teacher has some understanding of what to do if a cerebral palsy child begins to seizure

Tips about the Academic Aspects of Teaching a Cerebral Palsy Child

* lnsure the time allotment for taking tests and completing assignments is compatible with the cerebral palsy child's abilities.
* Allow lectures to be taped.
* Seat cerebral palsy children in the front of the class to help with vision or hearing problems.
* Use small groups for discussion and work collaboration to encourage active listening and communication skills.
* Use and point out key words and phrases that will help students organize notes and information

Posted byDoc Junhel at 3:46 PM  

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