Neuralign is currently seeking qualified professionals to help assess the effectiveness of our cognitive therapy in managing symptoms of cerebral palsy.

What is Cerebral Palsy?

According to the cdc, cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of disorders that affect a person’s ability to move and maintain balance and posture. CP is the most common motor disability in childhood. Cerebral means having to do with the brain. Palsy means weakness or problems with using the muscles. CP is caused by abnormal brain development or damage to the developing brain that affects a person’s ability to control his or her muscles.

The symptoms of CP vary from person to person. A person with severe CP might need to use special equipment to be able to walk, or might not be able to walk at all and might need lifelong care. A person with mild CP, on the other hand, might walk a little awkwardly, but might not need any special help. CP does not get worse over time, though the exact symptoms can change over a person’s lifetime.

All people with CP have problems with movement and posture. Many also have related conditions such as intellectual disability; seizures; problems with vision, hearing, or speech; changes in the spine (such as scoliosis); or joint problems (such as contractures).¹

“The most difficult obstacle to overcome is other people’s perception of who a person with a disability is.”

~ Greg Walloch

What to Know About CP

People with CP are in the best position to explain what it’s like having CP. We love this video of Zach Anner by the Cerebral Palsy Foundation.

Here’s a more clinical look at CP from Dr. Peter Rosenbaum, by the Cerebral Palsy Foundation.

Types of CP

The specific motor types present in CP are determined by the extent, type, and location of a child’s abnormalities.

SPASTIC CEREBRAL PALSY

Spastic CP is the most common type. People will experience increased muscle tone and their movements may appear stiff or awkward. Different parts of the body can be affected:

Spastic hemiplegia/hemiparesis typically affects the arm, hand, and leg on one side of the body.
Spastic diplegia/diparesis involves muscle stiffness that is predominantly in the legs. The arms may be affected to a lesser extent.
Spastic quadriplegia/quadriparesis is the most severe form of CP. It is caused by widespread damage to the brain or significant brain malformations.

DYSKINETIC CEREBRAL PALSY

Dyskinetic motor patterns (also includes athetoid, choreoathetoid, and dystonia) are characterized by slow and uncontrollable writhing or jerky movements of the hands, feet, arms, or legs.

ATAXIC CEREBRAL PALSY

Ataxia affects balance and depth perception. Children with ataxia will often have poor coordination and walk unsteadily with a wide-based gait.

MIXED TYPES

Mixed types of CP refer to symptoms that don’t correspond to any single type of CP but are a mix of types. For example, a child with mixed CP may have some muscles that are too tight and others that are too relaxed.²