Cerebral palsy is referred as a static neurological condition resulting from brain injury that occurs earlier than cerebral development is completed. Since the brain development continues throughout the first two years of life, cerebral palsy can take effect from brain injury taking place for the period of the prenatal, perinatal, or postnatal periods. Almost seventy to eighty percent of cerebral palsy cases are acquired prenatally, and from largely unidentified causes.
Cerebral palsy is caused by brain damage during, or before the birth of a child. It can also be linked with the abnormal development of brain. The roots of the condition are found in during problems pregnancy. It arises due to infections, maternal health problems, and other factors that interfere with normal brain development. Moreover, during problems delivery may also contribute to cerebral palsy.
The arrangement of cerebral palsy can be global mental and physical dysfunction or isolated disturbances in way of walking, cognition, development, or awareness. It is the most general childhood physical disability, and affects almost 2 to 2.5 children per 1,000 born. The disparity diagnoses of cerebral palsy consist of metabolic and genetic disorders.
Assessment is the first step in the diagnosis of cerebral palsy. When we access the child with cerebral play, it is found that the developmental process occurs, but at much slower rate. This means that the child develops the movement skills very slowly. It is related to the neuromotor dysfunction, or delay in the maturation of the nervous system.
For the assessment or diagnosis of cerebral palsy, the doctors notice the presence of the symptoms of lethargy or lack of alertness, irritability, abnormal cry, trembling of arms and legs, poor feeding abilities, problems in sucking and swallowing, low muscle tone, abnormal posture, seizures, staring spells, eye fluttering, body twitching and abnormal reflexes in the child within first few months of life.
After these symptoms some other symptoms can also be noticed which help the doctors to assess the presence of cerebral palsy. It is seen that till six years of age children show slow movement skills and developmental delays are apparent which might help the doctors in making diagnosis.
The clinical studies of this problem involve several assessment instruments. These instruments monitor, and quantify the developmental skills. It is essential to asses the quality of life of the patient. The most commonly used assessment tool is Child Health Questionnaire. The other method is the Gross Motor Function Classification System for Cerebral Palsy. This classification system standardises the self-initiated movements. It measures the changes in motor function.
The treatment helps persons to live with affected condition in a better way. Currently, the knowledge and treatment techniques are improved, so it is expected that the sufferings of the patients with this disorder will decrease in future.
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