Cerebral palsy (CP) is a broad term that refers to a brain injury before the child's brain is fully developed, resulting in a motor disorder that affects the ability of movement of the person. Cerebral palsy is the most common neurodevelopmental disorder that causes physical disability. CP is a non-progressive disability that cannot be reversed, but can be managed through several types of therapies. Cerebral palsy occurs before, during, or after childbirth and before the age of three. Some symptoms of CP include difficulty with coordination, balance, posture, ability to move, communicate, resulting in effects on a person's lifestyle. There is a universal system used to determine an individual's level of functioning, called the Gross Motor Function Classification System, or CMFCS. The earlier the child starts therapy, the more effective the results will be. There are several types of therapies that can help an individual with CP achieve their goals. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayThe two words that make up cerebral palsy can be divided into “cerebral” referring to the brain, the part of the brain that is affected, and “palsy” recognized as muscle (Volcker). Because CP affects the motor part of the brain, it can cause poor coordination, balance, and abnormal movement patterns. A person may have one affected area or all three, it varies from person to person. CP is a static disorder, meaning it is permanent and may not get worse over time. Cerebral palsy can create problems other than movement disorders, similar to those seen in people who have a brain injury. People can experience medical complications such as epilepsy, learning disabilities, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, speech disorders, and a variety of other disabilities. The largest percentage of children are diagnosed with congenital cerebral palsy, meaning they are born with infantile cerebral palsy. There is a very small percentage of children who are diagnosed with cerebral palsy resulting from head trauma, car accidents, falls, or abuse. Babies who are shaken and experience shaken baby syndrome are at risk for cerebral palsy. Shaken baby syndrome occurs when the baby is shaken so forcefully that the brain repeatedly hits the skull, causing pressure to increase. Children must be diagnosed before age 5 to get the CP label. After age 5, a child would be diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury or stroke. Most babies are not diagnosed immediately after birth unless the symptoms are severe and well-defined, as medical professionals like to be 100% sure they have it correct. Having a diagnosis can be a relief for families who can identify and seek help. Once a child receives a diagnosis, treatment and therapies will not change. Medical professionals don't know how to totally prevent cerebral palsy, but they know some causes. Rubella is a known cause of CP, which can be prevented by vaccination of the mother. Another known cause of cerebral palsy is toxoplasmosis, when the mother is exposed to cat feces and raw meat. Cytomegalovirus is the last known cause for which there is no known immunization to prevent it. Additionally, another known cause of cerebral palsy is very severe meningitis. To prevent cerebral palsy or brain injury, whotakes care of the child must be careful to avoid asphyxiation, poisoning of the child, suffocation with food or foreign objects and danger of drowning. There are several subtypes of cerebral palsy, which can be further classified as unilateral or bilateral diagnoses. Spastic CP is the most common type, 85%-91% of people diagnosed have this type of cerebral palsy. Spastic CP causes a person's movements to be jerky and stiff. People use certain muscle groups to perform certain tasks, when one muscle group is activated to do that job, the other groups that are not needed are deactivated. In people with spastic cerebral palsy the wrong muscle groups may be activated to perform a task when they are not needed, thus making their movements unnatural and jittery. If the wrong muscle group is activated for a task, the movement the person is trying to perform may be impossible. Within a diagnosis of spastic cerebral palsy there are other subgroups, the first being spastic diplegia. CP Spastic Diplegia occurs when a person's legs are affected more than their arms, which is mostly associated with prematurity. Spastic quadriplegia occurs when the four limbs, trunk, and muscles that move a person's mouth, tongue, and pharynx are affected. Spastic quadriplegia can also cause other more serious disabilities, such as intellectual disability, seizures, sensory disturbances, and medical problems. Spastic hemiplegia occurs when one side of someone's body is more affected than the other. Another subcategory is dyskinetic CP, only 4-7% of people diagnosed have this type of cerebral palsy. Dyskinetic CP occurs when the person's movements are rapid, random, and jerky, and they may also have abnormalities in muscle tone throughout the body. The next subcategory is ataxic cerebral palsy, in which the person struggles to maintain balance. People with ataxia appear very shaky and unstable, because their balance and depth perception have been compromised. Only 4-6% of people with cerebral palsy have ataxia. Children may also be diagnosed with a mix of different subcategories. A child diagnosed with cerebral palsy does not undergo medical tests to confirm the diagnosis, rather there are several factors that medical professionals must consider when making the diagnosis. A child may undergo a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan to see which part of the brain is damaged. This will help medical professionals understand what disability they have. For a child to be diagnosed with cerebral palsy, he or she would not have reached developmental milestones, developed reflexes, and had no notable abnormalities in motor function. A medical profession will observe the child while they are in a comfortable environment to also observe their motor skills. All of these factors contribute to a child being diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Because there is no cure for cerebral palsy, it is important for parents and children to find different ways to manage their symptoms so they can live their lives to the fullest. A common medication prescribed to help many people with spasms is baclofen. Managing a child's symptoms should not be seen as a temporary measure as cerebral palsy is a permanent disability. A child with CP should be involved as much as possible at school, in the community and at home. Management of cerebral palsy should be individualized and address all of the person's disabilities, not just infantile cerebral palsy. A medical professionalshould participate in the management of cerebral palsy as well as therapists, parents and the child. Family-focused services allow the concerns of both the parent and child to be met and addressed. Family-focused services are especially helpful when your child is facing a transition in their life. The child's management goals should aim to improve his overall health, be able to relieve the pain he feels and accelerate his participation. There are many different types of therapies that can help a child with cerebral palsy. The goal of therapy is to maximize the child's independence, prevent acquired problems, decrease his disability, improve his function and participation. Parents of a child with cerebral palsy should apply all of their treatment goals at home, enhancing the positive outcomes of the different types of therapy the child is receiving. The earlier the child is able to start therapy, the more beneficial and effective it will be for them in the long term. There are no specific therapies that can help a child control their spasticity. There are several contexts with advantages and disadvantages in which a child with cerebral palsy can receive therapy. A child can avail of in-home services where the therapist will come into his or her home. This is the ideal environment for early intervention services, the therapist will set goals for the child that are appropriate for their environment. In-home services are more convenient for a parent with a young child and is more comfortable for the child. Home therapy sessions can also be useful for a child who has just undergone surgery, who cannot easily be transported in a car, or for a child who has physical difficulty moving around. The disadvantage of therapy in your child's home is that equipment and space are limited. Additionally, the therapist spends most of his or her time traveling, which makes sessions more expensive. Therapy can also take place in clinical and outpatient settings. These are the most ideal settings for therapy since it is an established therapeutic location. There is equipment available that children can easily use as they grow. The child goes to a clinical setting for the purpose of working. An outpatient therapy session is the most convenient, but they have limited hours for working parents. School-based therapy occurs when the child is taken out of the classroom to receive therapy sessions. The goal of school-based therapy is to further the child's education, and the therapist might work on skills that the child would use in the classroom. Services in the school are available after the child is 3 years old. They are low intensity and only occur once a week for about 30 minutes. A child cannot be withdrawn from an academic class to receive school-based therapy, but may be withdrawn from an elective class. A person who has received therapy throughout their life may not want to continue into adulthood if they have not noticed a significant difference in their abilities or if they believe they can achieve the same abilities on their own. One type of therapy that a child with cerebral palsy may receive is speech and language therapy. The speech and language therapist would set eating, drinking and speaking goals for the child based on his or her needs. Some people think that because a baby can talk, he can eat independently, but this is not always the case. Many children with CP feel frustrated because they have the cognitive ability to feed themselves, but their muscles don't listen to what their brain tells them to do. A,.