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Cerebral Palsy Essay

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Cerebral palsy, also known as CP, is quite prevalent in today’s society and continues to be the most common physical disability. It is estimated that about one in every 400 children born in a developed country will have cerebral palsy (Aspinall, 2007). In the United States, it is estimated that nearly 800,000 children and adults could be exhibiting some symptoms of the condition (Aspinall, 2007). Despite medical advances all over the world, newborn children and infants continue to be diagnosed with this condition and there seems to be no decline in numbers over the years (Aspinall, 2007).
The exact cause of cerebral palsy remains unknown to this day. However, there are many factors that can cause CP such as meningitis, bleeding into the …show more content…

There are three main types of cerebral palsy. The first type of CP is that of Spastic Cerebral Palsy and it is often accompanied with a weakness and stiffness in muscles (Aspinall, 2007). Therefore, movements are much harder to perform and to control. Muscle weakness will sometimes make it impossible for some people to stand or move on their own while muscle stiffness prevents many to fully extend their limbs. Spastic CP is the most common type of CP in the world, and nearly eighty percent of all CP cases are of this type (Aspinall, 2007). The second type of CP is that of Athetoid Cerebral Palsy and it is caused by damage to the cerebellum and the basal ganglia (Aspinall, 2007). When damage occurs in these areas movements and body posture are affected greatly and both are less coordinated (Colledge, 1999). Moreover, the imbalance caused by the damage to these areas result in problems with speech, eating, and picking up objects (Aspinall, 2007). Nearly ten percent of all CP cases are those of Athetoid CP (Aspinall 2007). The third type of CP is that of Ataxic Cerebral Palsy. Ataxic children are usually shaky and have a poor sense of balance as well as bad depth perception (Aspinall, 2007). However, a child with Ataxic CP may have a chance of living an independent life if therapy is started at a young age.
Cerebral palsy is not a curable disease (Petry, 2007). However, some treatment will often time’s enhance a child’s capabilities. Although this

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