Cerebral Paulsy (Palsey)

Cerebral Paulsy, or CP (sometimes called Little's disease after the discoverer, William John Little, a 19th century doctor), is not one disease but rather a collective description

CP:

Cerbal Palsy is caused by an early damage to the brain, like a hemorrage or lack of oxygen resulting in damage to different areas, while it is still under development.

of a group of brain disorders which all affect the coordination of muscles, resulting in problems with body movements.

Cerebral Palsey is not hereditary, it is not contagious and it will not progress once the damage is there during the first 2 years of life. The brain is very sensitive during this stage - the growth and development which starts very early in pregnancy and ends around the age of 2-3 years. A damage during this period can cause CP which is a disorder affecting the signalling between brain and body.

The CP can be very light, maybe just a slightly "coarse" control of hand movement - or on the other extreme, it can be a total loss of muscle control which will affect both movement and speech. The actual signs or effects of the disorder will depend on exactly which areas of the brain that have been damaged and can typically be spasms, speech problems, walking problems, writing problems and problems with perception. There may also be further problems with eating, bladder control and breathing.

Although the disease is irreversible (cannot be cured) there is a lot that can be done to make life easier, different aids, training etc but this can all be very expensive. One option is to look at whether there may have been medical malpractice during labor or birth, which could warrant a financial settlement - contact a CP lawyer or attorney for more advice.

Modern research seems to support the view that cerebral palsey (cerbal palsy) is more often caused by congenital abnormalities than the result of birth injuries.

Children with cerebral paulsy will have a delayed motoric development.