Cerebral+Palsy

Cerebral Palsy Priya Swyden Sydney Mazur

NICE START - I AM USING RED AND CAPS SO THAT YOU CAN SEE MY COMMENTS - I AM NOT YELLING :-) I AM ASSUMING YOU WILL BE FINISHED BY 5 PM THIS EVEING, 5/21 TO RECEIVE FULL CREDIT. PLEASE MAKE SURE ALL SENTENCES ARE IN COMPLETE FORMAT. ALSO, YOUR ANSWERS NEED TO BE MORE DETAILED AND EXPLAINED. WHEN WRITING YOUR ANSWERS, THINK AS IF THOSE WHO ARE READING KNOW NOTHING ABOUT THE BIRTH DEFECT. YOU ARE THE ONES THAT NEED TO INFORM THEM ABOUT IT. PROVIDE A CLEAR PICTURE OF EVERYTHING THAT IS ENTAILED WITH THE BIRTH DEFECT. MAKE SURE YOUR RESPONSES FLOW. AND BE CAREFUL HOW YOU WORD YOUR RESPONSED. THIS IS AN ACADEMIC PAPER, YOU NEED TO MAKE SURE YOU ARE PROVIDING ANSWERS IN A PROFESSIONAL MANNER. WHAT IS IN RED NEEDS TO BE DELETED/CORRECTED/ADJUSTED/ADDED.

The name of the defect that Priya and I had decided to research was Cerebral Palsy. Cerebral Palsy is a birth defect that affects fine and gross motor skills. CP can easily be spotted. It shows when a student or child can not either talk correctly or even walk.
 * 1.) What is the name of the defect? **

Starting off, Cerebral Palsy is not a specific diagnosis, the symptoms are almost obvious. Things like grasping certain items and other fine motor skills are difficult for a child. Also, the obvious symptoms are mental retardation, seizures, and difficulties with vision, speech, and hearing.
 * 2.)What are the symptoms? Describe in detail **

Cerebral Palsy mainly does not affect any population. Most of the time it affects unborn babies. Premature babies are twenty to eighty times more likely to develop Cerebral Palsy compared to a baby born on time. It does not matter if your black, white, male, or female. Every two to three babies out of one thousand are diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy.
 * 3.)What population does the defect most commonly affect (if any)? **

Just like any other type of disease, trained physicians work together to discover where your child needs the most help (such as, walking in a straight line, saying words correctly, or even as feeding themselves). A new type of drug treatment has been reportedly used to help with the birth defect to keep the child focused and able to move their body in ways they couldn’t before(such as walking, talking, feeding, or dressing themselves in the morning). For some children with spastic Cerebral Palsy, a surgical treatment called selective dorsal rhizotomy is treated. Most of the time the surgery works on getting the child able to walk, move, write, and speak. Occupational therapist also works with the child to build skills for everyday living (examples feeding, and dressing themselves). When the child has speech problems, they often tend to go and see a speech therapist. Lastly, some children benefit with medical treatment like walkers and wheel chairs if they are not able to walk on their own.
 * 7.) How is the defect treated and who (which specialist) treat the defect? What is the hope for the future? **

This birth defect is very hard to detect early on. Most of the time it is not diagnosed until after birth. On occasion Cerebral Palsy can be diagnosed after a few years after birth. For example, one day you’re driving in your car when suddenly your car gets hit from behind. The baby’s car seat gets pushed forward and back then your baby’s head is knocked on the car seat causing head trauma. Large amounts of pressure to a baby’s head while still a few weeks old can cause Cerebral Palsy. Infections during pregnancy are also common ways to get Cerebral Palsy. Ways to prevent it is stay away from smoking, and taking drugs (prescription and over the counter) while pregnant. Lastly, medical mistakes are some reasons why kids have this birth defect. There is no true way to prevent Cerebral Palsy other than staying healthy and be extremely careful like you would with any other type of birth defect (not all defects are cause by environment).
 * 8.)Is there any way to prevent the defect? If so, what precautions are needed? **

4. **What is the cause of the defect? (Genetic, Environmental or a combination of both)**


 * Describe in detail. **

Cerebral Palsy can develop due to a number of reasons, both environmental and medical mistakes. However, according to research it isn’t usually inherited, but is normally acquired to due injury or abnormalities to parts of the brain that control muscle movements. The causes of CP are normally grouped into two categories; prenatal and postnatal. If a mother suffers some infections such as rubella, cytomegalovirus, or toxoplasmosis during pregnancy, then the baby could potentially be at risk for cerebral palsy. Other postnatal environmental factors that could potentially cause CP are any teratogens, such as drugs, alcohol, and exposure to chemicals. Many medical mistakes fall under the postnatal category. If a baby is not receiving enough oxygen during labor/delivery than they could potentially acquire cerebral palsy. Babies who suffer neurological injuries, brain damage, or brain infections after birth could also get CP.


 * 5. When is the defect most commonly diagnosed? (at birth, prior to birth, or what age-be specific) **


 * Describe in detail. **

Cerebral palsy is usually diagnosed by age three, because the early signs of this birth defect normally start to appear before age three. It usually appears during infancy and early childhood, but doesn’t worsen over time.


 * 6. How is the defect most commonly diagnosed? (Can you see it; is there a test for it?) Describe in detail. **

Cerebral palsy is diagnosed mainly by evaluating how a baby or young child moves. The muscle tone can be evaluated, the reflexes checked, and the baby is checked to see if they have developed a preference for their left or right hand. The symptoms of CP can normally be seen, such as delays in learning to roll over, sit, crawl, or walk. Brain imaging tests such as MRI’s can also help identify the cause of cerebral palsy.

9. []


 * 10. What kind of support is available to families of a child born with this defect? Give specifics. **


 * One must be located or be able to access within the Colchester Community. Describe the **


 * Service, what it provides and how it will be beneficial for the child, parents, family, etc. **

There are many different types of support available to the families of a child born with cerebral palsy, such as support groups and community services. There is therapy for parents/caregivers of these children. For example, nutrition counseling helps caregivers understand the dietary needs of the child. There are many siblings groups, where brothers and sisters of the child with the disability get together to share experiences and gain support. Social workers provide counseling and advocacy support for families, while special education teachers help families understand about disabilities and support them. In Colchester there are many accessible services to help provide to families and children with disabilities such as cerebral palsy. The Department of Human Services and the Association for Children with a Disability both help families who have a child with cerebral palsy. Children in Colchester who have cerebral palsy can also participate in Special Olympics, which allow them to play any sports. These services would help the children with cerebral palsy and the family because it provides them with knowledge about this birth defect and ways to lead happy normal lives.

Cerebral Palsy is divided into four different categories; Spastic CP, Athetoid, Ataxic CP, or mixed. Spastic CP, affects 70 to 80% of people who have CP. With Spastic Cerebral Palsy, the muscles are very stiff, and permanently contracted. Some with Spastic CP may experience hemiparetic tremors. Hemiparetic tremors is uncontrollable shaking, affecting the limbs on only one side of a persons body. Sometimes the tremors are severe, and can affect movement.
 * 11. One additional piece of information. **

The second type, Athetoid or Dyskinetic CP affects 10-20% of people who have CP. People with Athetoid Cerebral Palsy will have uncontrolled, slow, writhing movements. These movements will often affect the hands, feet, arms, or legs. Sometimes the muscles in a persons face or tongue will be affected, causing drooling. These movements will often increase during stressful times, and will most likely disappear while sleeping. Also, people with this particular type of CP may have problems coordinating muscle movements that are needed for speech. This is called dysarthria.

The third type, Ataxic Cerebral Palsy affects 5-10% of people who have CP. This type of CP is very rare, and affects balance and coordination. A person with Ataxic CP may walk unsteady and have a wide step. They could place their feet far apart, and may have difficulty with quick or exact movements, like buttoning a shirt, or writing. Also, they could have "intention tremors." The last type is mixed types. The most common type of mixed types is a mix of Spastic CP and Athetoid CP. However, other combinations are possible. This diesase has an impact on me because I learned that if I am to ever have a baby, it could have CP. My goals not only for right now in this time period, but as I mature and get older and my body will get older, I know that I have to keep in shape so my baby doesnt get this birth defect. I am going to always watch what I am going to eat and drink with everything I do. Really learning about this birth defect has personally scared me to the point on which I am a little bit afraid to have kids with the threat that they will get CP.

Polzin, Scott J. "Cerebral palsy." //The Gale Encyclopedia of Genetic Disorders//. Ed. Stacey L. Blachford. Detroit: Gale, 2010. //Gale Science In Context//. Web. 16 May 2012.

Stern and Associates,. "My child with cerebral palsy." //Mychild//. Stern and Associates, 2011. Web. 19 May 2012. .

NA, NA. "Cerebral Palsy." //March of Dimes//. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2007. Web. 18 May 2012. .