What is Cerebral Palsy?

Cerebral Palsy is an injury to a baby’s brain at birth, although it is typically not diagnosed until the first or second year of life. The amount that is injured affects how much the child will be affected. A person with Cerebral Palsy can have a range of cognitive and physical impairments or both. These impairments may affect their ability to think, talk or move and will be lifelong but may improve with therapies, medicines and/or assistive devices. 

Cerebral Palsy affects everyone differently and isn’t always apparent from the outside. 

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Physically, a child with Cerebral Palsy could be in a wheelchair and unable to walk, walk with a walker, crutches or without anything at all. It is common to have certain muscles that are tight and can twist the arms, legs, or feet in certain ways, which is why often kids with Cerebral Palsy wear braces on their ankles (Ankle Foot Orthoses or AFO’s) and have legs that turn in.  This can make it hard to walk or run and can increase the likelihood of tripping and getting tired faster than a kid who doesn’t have Cerebral Palsy. 

Resources

cpresource.org

Cerebral Palsy Resource shares input from clinicians & providers as well as families and individuals who have or know someone who has Cerebral Palsy. It has information on clinical trials, ways to participate on advocacy, and a variety of information on understanding what Cerebral Palsy is and can look like. This is for parents who may be unsure of what Cerebral Palsy is, families who have known and would like up to date research information, and clinicians who want to keep informed on current happenings with this diagnosis.

cerebralpalsy.org

Cerebral Palsy.org is targeted to parents of children who have been diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy. This website is a great resource for how to manage the medical side of things and also take care of and support your child from the parent side of things. It also gives ‘helpful suggestions’ to think about during different stages of parenting a child with Cerebral Palsy.

     ucp.org       

United Cerebral Palsy is a place for families with a child and individuals who have Cerebral Palsy to find resources. This non for profit can help link you to therapy, assistive technology, and physicians to find care across the country. They can also help you be more aware of public policies and assistance or programs available to you. UCP helps to foster inclusion and promote independence for individuals with Cerebral Palsy.