Mild Cerebral Palsy

There is quite a bit written on cerebral palsy in general. When the term cerebral palsy is used it usually brings to mind those who are severely affected. Most people do not realize that there are children and adults out there that have mild forms of cerebral palsy. The child who walks with a slight limp, or who is a little more uncoordinated then his friends; the child who constantly walks on his/her toes, either one foot or both and cannot walk with his/her feet flat on the floor because of spasticity; the child with poor balance and speech issues; are just a few of the children we are talking about.

The term cerebral palsy simple means problems with motor ability—gross, fine, oral, caused from brain damage suffered sometime before, during or after birth up to a year or two. The brain damage can be minimal and a child be severely affected. Damage can be great and the child be mildy affected. CT or MRI scans are used to help in diagnosing cerebral palsy along with a physical exam that will look at things such as reflexes. Some children who have cerebral palsy will have normal brain scans. When this occurs, and there are no other mitochondrial, dystrophic, or genetic components involved, it is believed that the brain damage is so diffuse and small that it is not able to be detected by the scans.

No two children will be affected in the same ways even if they have similar damage in similar areas. This is why when parents ask their neurologist, developmental pediatrician or other diagnosing physician how this diagnosis is going to affect their child, the physician will honestly say that they do not know. Most will tell the parent that the child may never talk or walk. This is a generic answer of worse case scenario.

Children who are mildly affected by cerebral palsy lead near “normal” lives. They may not be the star athlete, though they could be, but they can excel. The most important thing for parents to remember is to never give up on your child. If they are struggling find out what is causing the problem and help them address it.

Children who are mildly physically affected by cerebral palsy still can have other disorders that are associated with cp. These disorders can affect them from mildly to severely as well. Disorders that can be associated with cerebral palsy include:

Seizure Disorders/Epilespy, persons with hemiplegia are more likely to be diagnosed with seizure disorders/epilepsy than persons with other types of cerebral palsy.

Processing Difficulties, such as auditory or visual processing deficits, hearing and vision are normal but the brain does not process the information coming in through these senses correctly

Sensory Integration Dysfunction, where the brain has a hard time organizing information brought in by the senses; taste, tactile/touch, see, hear, smell, proprioceptive, and/ or vestibular senses.

Failure to thrive, where the child has an unusually hard time gaining weight, height, etc.

Reflux, where what the child eats comes back up into the esophagus. This can cause damage to the esophagus. It can be very evident or can be happening silently where it is not clear that it is occurring.

ADD/ADHD, Attention deficit disorder or attention deficit with hyperactivity disorder

Other learning disabilities, children with cerebral palsy often will have problems in the classroom. They may not be able to learn the way that other children do or the way that certain teachers teach. This does not mean that they cannot learn but that they need to be taught in a manner in which they can excel. Be creative and try several different approaches until you find the one that fits the child.

Mental Retardation/Cognitive Deficits, Most children/adults with cerebral palsy have average to above average intelligence.

The best thing for these children is to keep them active, just as you would any other child. Treat them no differently, expect great things from them because they are more than capable of delivering. Help them to reach their fullest potential. They will thank you for it in the end.

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Copyright July 2000 by April Hernandez for KidPower Family Support Resource, all rights reserved