Cerebral Palsy And OT Intervention

             *Other factors such as multiple births, premature birth, low birth weight, RH or A-B-O blood type incompatibility between parents, infection of the mother with German measles or other viral infections in early pregnancy.
             It is now believed that most Cerebral Palsy is caused by more than one damaging factor. For example, a fetus suffering from brain damage early in pregnancy may not be able to move normally during labor, and the difficult labor leads to more damage. In short CP is a disability with complex causes and effects. .
             Cerebral Palsy is categorized into types:.
             Spastic: the muscles are held tensely, seem tight, but may suddenly give away.
             Athetoid: Involuntary and unstable movements, often has speech difficulties.
             Ataxic: Disturbed sense of balance and depth perception.
             Hypotonic: Child is floppy like a rag doll. Usually develops into either spastic or athetiod.
             Symptoms.
             In a child's early months it is often difficult to determine how sever the CP condition is. The condition is usually detected when the normal "millstones" like sitting and standing are delayed. Until the infant has reached an age where they will try to roll over, you cannot tell whether he can control his muscles enough to complete the task. It can be weeks or months before the infant is diagnosed with CP. .
             The problem areas of Cerebral Palsy cover a very broad span of disability. In its mildest form it can produce a slight dysfunction of speech or limb movement. In its most severe form the person can lack all speech and limb control. Problems what balance are common. Many people with CP have other disabilities, such as learning disabilities epileptic seizure, or mental retardation. With the individual effects on different people, CP will also have different effects at different times on the individual. The child's brain will have been most severely damaged in the areas undergoing greatest development at the time of injury.