March marks Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month, where we promote awareness and inclusion for individuals living with cerebral palsy. But what actually is cerebral palsy? How can you identify this? What are some common myths and misconceptions that we need to de-bunk?

Partner in our clinical negligence team, Steven Brown, answers these questions below.

What is cerebral palsy?

Cerebral palsy is an umbrella term used to describe a group of conditions affecting movement, co-ordination and functionality. The condition is caused by an injury or abnormality to the developing brain, typically occurring before, during or shortly after birth.

Common symptoms associated with cerebral palsy can include:

• Muscle spasticity, affected muscle tone and chronic pain – muscles can be loose / floppy or very stiff

• Weakness and stiffness of the limbs – this may affect one or up to all four limbs

• Poor co-ordination and movement

• Speech, swallowing and vision difficulties – affecting control of the mouth and throat muscles, and communication

• Delays in development and intellectual disability – including delays in reaching milestones such as crawling / sitting independently / walking

• Seizures

Types of cerebral palsy

There are different types of cerebral palsy, depending on which area of the brain has been injured, affecting children in different ways.

The main types include:

Spastic cerebral palsy: This is the most common type, causing muscle stiffness and spasticity. The injury to the brain affects the child’s movement, muscle control and often the child’s development.

Dyskinetic cerebral palsy: This causes involuntary movements and fluctuating muscle tone, often resulting in difficulty for the child to complete everyday tasks including eating and sitting independently. The damage to the brain impacts a child’s movement, balance and coordination.

Ataxic cerebral palsy: This involves damage to the part of the brain that controls coordination and balance, often causing reduced muscle tone and unsteadiness.

Hypotonic cerebral palsy: The common symptoms associated with this type can include low muscle tone causing a loss of strength and floppiness. This can impact a child’s development such as crawling, sitting and walking.

Mixed type cerebral palsy: In some cases, more than one area of the brain is damaged, causing the child to have a combination of the above types. This is known as mixed type cerebral palsy.

Cerebral palsy myths and misconceptions

Cerebral palsy is one of the most common conditions that can cause childhood disability. The condition affects approximately 1 in every 400 children in the UK.

However, surveys suggest that many people do not know what cerebral palsy is or have limited understanding of the condition.

Below we identify some of the most common myths and misconceptions.

Myth one: Cerebral palsy is the same for everyone

As mentioned above there are different types of cerebral palsy caused by different parts of the brain becoming damaged. As such, each child is affected in a completely unique way. For example, some children have lifelong physical impairments and all four limbs being affected, in comparison to less severe cases whereby only one limb is affected.

Both the combination of symptoms that a child presents with, and the severity of these, is widely varied between each individual. Therefore, it is important to not make presumptions of a child’s needs or abilities based solely on them having cerebral palsy.

Myth two: Cerebral palsy results in an intellectual disability

It is often presumed that cerebral palsy causes all children to have an intellectual disability.

Cerebral palsy is a condition that primarily affects movement and function. Whilst it can cause children to have an intellectual disability, not all children with cerebral palsy are affected this way.

If a child with cerebral palsy does have an intellectual disability, the severity of this can vary and lead to different levels / types of care being required.

Myth three: The condition gets worse over time

Cerebral palsy is a lifelong condition that will affect a child throughout their life into adulthood.

It is not a progressive condition, although as the child develops and their needs progress into adulthood, the symptoms associated with cerebral palsy may become more noticeable and require increased levels of care.

Myth four: People with cerebral palsy cannot lead independent lives

Whilst cerebral palsy affects children to varying degrees of severity, it does not prevent them from being able to lead a more independent life in the future.

With the aid of different treatment options, a child’s symptoms may be managed, and they may become more adaptable to their circumstances as they go into adulthood.

Common treatments to help those with cerebral palsy to live as independently as possible can include:

Physiotherapy: this can help to manage muscle stiffness and pain, strength, balance, mobility and coordination. Regular sessions may help a child to manage their symptoms and function more comfortably in their everyday activities.

Speech and Language therapy: this can support a child who has difficulties with speaking, communicating, or swallowing, including exercises to strengthen the muscles and strategies to aid in communication.

Occupational therapy: this can assist children with their everyday tasks such as dressing, eating, movement. As part of this treatment, children may utilise adaptive equipment and/ or technologies which will assist them to live more independently.

Early and ongoing intervention can be used throughout the child’s life to promote a more independent adulthood.

At JMW, we understand the uncertainties and the challenges for families that cerebral palsy can bring. For additional information and useful resources, please visit JMW’s dedicated Cerebral Palsy Hub.