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Home › Articles › Physical Challenges › An Overview of Cerebral Palsy

An Overview of Cerebral Palsy

When Your Child Has Celebral Palsy

By Kelly Burgess

Pages:  1  2  3  4  

"About 10 percent of all cerebral palsy occurs 24 to 36 hours after the birthing period as a result of trauma or infection," says Dr. Goldstein. "The difference is that cerebral palsy is damage to the developing brain. After about age 2, the hardwiring of the brain is complete and any brain damage suffered after that time is not classified as cerebral palsy."

How Serious Is Cerebral Palsy?
The level of involvement in cerebral palsy varies considerably and depends upon which area of the brain was damaged. For example, a relatively small amount of damage in a crucial area can cause more severe symptoms than more extensive damage in a less crucial area, says Dr. Goldstein. It's these variables that cause the symptoms of cerebral palsy to range from the almost undetectable to the very severe, which may require constant care.

Cerebral palsy (CP) is generally grouped into these four categories:

  • Spastic cerebral palsy. This is the most common form, affecting 70 to 80 percent of all CP patents. It is characterized by stiff, contracted muscles, and can develop in infants after a period of poor muscle tone, called hypotonia.

  • Athetoid, or dyskinetic cerebral palsy. Affecting 10 to 20 percent of patients, this type is characterized by uncontrolled, slow, writhing movements, usually affecting the hands, feet, arms or legs. Occasionally, the muscles of the face and tongue are affected, causing grimacing or drooling.


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