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Cerebral Palsy (cp) is one of the most common physical disabilities in the United States, defined

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Cerebral Palsy (cp) is one of the most common physical disabilities in the United States, defined by its various types, treatment, and legal rights for those with the condition.
The term cerebral palsy (seh-ree-brel pawl-zee) is used to express any of the three or sometimes four types of the disorder. Still, the term itself can be confusing. Cerebral means ‘brain’ while palsy is ‘paralysis.’ As serious as it sounds, it is not a disease. The term refers to brain damage that causes weakness or paralysis of parts of the body such as legs or arms. Cerebral palsy is a non-contagious, non-progressive neuro-muscular disorder that impairs standard muscle control. There were many researchers who took steps to define the condition as early as …show more content…

When these parts of the brain are damaged, the messages are not received properly as it should. Thus, the miscommunication affects the muscles. For example, when the brain commands the affected limb to straighten, it cannot, making the hand, or foot turn inward involuntarily than outward. Unfortunately, the brain damage is irreversible. And while it is possible to at least lessen certain risks for cp with modern medicine and technology, it cannot be prevented.
Cerebral palsy cannot be easily diagnosed in infancy. However, there are early signs that could pinpoint CP include stiffness, difficulty with crawling, standing and moving in position, and favoring one side. It can be noticed when the baby does not roll over properly and fails to meet developmental milestones. Children with the disorder are usually diagnosed at about before age three years or even earlier. The pediatrician can sometimes diagnose cerebral palsy during the baby’s check-up. Another way, a doctor would ask the parents, typically the first to know something is wrong with their child about their observations. He or she can perform a M.R.I. to produce an image of the brain, do intelligence tests, test reflexes, and do self-observations by having the child do simple commands (ex. stand up straight) and refer to eye or ear specialists if need be. Blood tests are done to see if there are other conditions as early signs do not always translate to cp. If

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