Cerebral Palsy
"I Got 99 Problems and Palsy is just One."
Maysoon Zayid: I got 99 problems... palsy is just one
Definitions: What is Cerebral Palsy?
- Group of nonprogressive disorders of movement and posture
- Neurological and physical problems
- 3 Types: Spastic (70-80%; muscles are stiff and movements are difficult), Dyskinetic (10%; affects the entire body and either: spastic and tight muscles or excessively loose muscles), Ataxic (5-10%; whole body and affects balance and coordination),
Characteristics: What to Look For?
- Difficulty with walking and other large motor skills
- Stiff or rigid muscles (OR) excessively loose muscles
- Muscles spasms
- Paralysis of (parts) of the body
- Difficulty speaking: stuttering, speech impairments
- Possible seizures
- Learning disabilities or Intellectual Disability
- Drooling or difficulty Swallowing
- Scissor or spastic gait
Etiology: What Causes this Disorder?
- Premature births: medical complications like brain hemorrhage, infection and difficulty breathing
- Multiple pregnancies: Twins, triplets, etc. (Twins are four times as likely to develop CP).
- Infant infections: Rubella (German Measles) , Cytomegalovirus (low birth weight, seizures and pneumonia) and Toxoplasmosis (severe disease with flu-like symptoms).
- Insufficient oxygen to babies in the womb and/or birth asphyxia
Including Samuel — Three Minute Trailer
Educational Implications: What We Can Expect as Special Educators
- Under IDEIA: Orthopedic Impairment, Multiple Disabilities, etc.
- Multiple Disabilities: Many people with CP also have an Intellectual Disability.
- Assistive Technology, aides, adequate space in the classroom.
- Early Intervention in the home working alongside the parents and family.
- Sensory room may be required.
References
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/cerebral_palsy/cerebral_palsy.htm
Cerebral Palsy: Perspectives on Diseases and Disorders by Jacqueline Langwith
Children with Disabilities: Mark L. Batshaw et. Al