Cerebral Palsy Research Paper

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Cerebral Palsy (CP) is a broad term used to describe a group of disorders that

impair control over movement. This disease causes poor control over voluntary muscles

and can cause spastic looking movements. The brain damage in this disorder does not

worsen over the course of a person’s life. Some symptoms from this disorder can change

over time.

Congenital cerebral palsy results from brain injury during the development of a

baby while still in the womb. It is always present at birth even if it is not detected at the

time. 70% of cases are diagnosed due to this improper development while 20% are

diagnosed due to a brain injury during the birth process. Possible causes are infections

during pregnancy. These infections may damage …show more content…
Rh incompatibility between the

mother and infant can cause the mother’s antibodies to destroy the fetus’s blood cells.

This also leads to jaundice and can cause brain damage. Physical and metabolic trauma of

being born can threaten to damage a fetus during development. Lastly, severe oxygen

deprivation to the brain or severe trauma to the head during labor or delivery can be the

cause of cerebral palsy in an infant.

Cerebral palsy is most often diagnosed in the first several years of a child’s life.

Being that the child is usually too young to communicate their own symptoms, there are

signs that are the primary method of recognizing and diagnosing this disease. There are

eight clinical signs of cerebral palsy that include muscle tone, movement coordination

and control, reflexes, posture, balance, gross motor function, fine motor function and oral

motor function. A child may demonstrate any of these signs: Hypotonia- decreased

muscle tone or tension, Hypertonia- increased muscle tone of tension, Dystonia-

fluctuating muscle tone or tension, Mixed- the trunk of the body may be hypotonic while

the arms and legs are hypertonic, Muscle Spasms- sometimes painful,

Cerebral Palsy Research Paper

Families also go through many financial problems when it comes to their child having cerebral palsy. All of the therapies, doctors appointments, braces, wheelchairs, and special needs equipment adds up. In total it would cost a person $921,000 to care for a child with CP throughout the child’s whole lifetime (“Costs of”). This can be broken down into three parts: indirect, direct medical, and direct non-medical. The indirect cost is about $742,326 in a lifetime. The indirect cost is the money that…

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Cerebral Palsy Research Paper

Cerebral Palsy Cerebral Palsy is a disorder that affects posture and body movements. It can either be caused by some type of brain injury or can happen during pregnancy or during the first years of the infants life. A baby is at high risk if they are premature, if they are not getting adequate amounts of oxygen during pregnancy, or a even a very serious head injury. Other things that could cause Cerebral Palsy are infection such as meningitis. There have many cases where Cerebral Palsy was causes…

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Cerebral Palsy Research Paper

Stephany is my older sister, she is 23 years old and she is living with Cerebral Palsy (CP) along with many other disabilities. Cerebral Palsy is a non-progressive disorder of motor function caused by irreversible damage to the immature brain (Okike). Okike’s Journal of Community Health states that this disorder may be associated with seizure, mental retardation, visual and hearing defects and it is a neurological disorder. However, CP appears in infancy or early childhood and permanently affects…

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Cerebral Palsy Research Paper

Cerebral Palsy otherwise known as “CP,” refers to a group of neurological disorders that appear in infancy or early childhood and permanently affect body movement, muscle coordination and balance (NINDS). It is estimated that 1 in 6 children per 1,000 births will be diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy. It is often diagnosed within the first 3 years of life and may be prenatal or congenital. A brain injury or brain malformation, which occurs while the brain is developing, is deemed the cause of Cerebral…

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Cerebral Palsy Research Paper

Cerebral palsy, also known as CP, can refer to multiple types of neurological disorders that typically appear in infancy or childhood. The condition permanently affects body movement and muscle coordination, however, does not degenerate throughout life. The majority of people with cerebral palsy were born with the condition. The condition may go undetected months or years after birth. At the age of three signs are most recognizable. Muscle coordination is the most common physiological function impaired…

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Cerebral Palsy Research Paper

Cerebral Palsy is a condition where a person’s brain is damaged or never properly developed and affects the patient’s motor control and nervous system.(WebMd) Cerebral Palsy also known as “CP” is usually diagnosed before, during, or usually within the first five years of life, although no one has found a cure or cause for this condition. If an adult is diagnosed with CP they must have suffered from a traumatic accident to enforce enough brain damage to be irreversible. In the mid 1800’s Dr. William…

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Cerebral Palsy Research Paper

the United States possess Cerebral Palsy symptoms (“United Cerebral Palsy” 1). According to Kimberly Gallent, Cerebral Palsy is a congenital disorder of muscle tone, movement, and posture. Cerebral Palsy can also be defined as incurable disorders of the development in movement, posture, and limited activity (“What is CP?” 2). Cerebral Palsy is caused by non progressive interferences happening while developing the infant brain. There are many solutions to Cerebral Palsy; facilities, occupational…

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Spastic Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy Research Paper

Spastic Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy Describing the status of children with Spastic Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy and measuring change in their status are two central challenges for scientists and doctors today. The care doctors have taken and hours of research they have invested in finding the answers to treating and preventing these cases have been evolving for years. Having a family member with this condition has been very tough on my family especially my grandma. My uncle was born six weeks…

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Essay Cerebral Palsy

Introduction The history and origin of cerebral palsy includes a number of great minds, generous hearts, and dedicated people striving to improve the lives of individuals with disabilities. In the mid-1800s, Dr. William John Little pioneered the study of cerebral palsy using his own childhood disability as an inspiration. Little was the first man to define cerebral palsy as a brain injury caused by oxygen deprivation at birth. As a child, Little battled mumps, measles, and whooping cough, three…

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Essay Developmental Psychology and Proximal Development

This essay will address the effectiveness of Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development in relation to a wide variety of children, including those with intellectual disabilities, and a comparison of different cultures. More specifically however, the paper will focus on the efficiency as well as the appropriateness of scaffolding in relation to young children, within the age group 0-14. Lev Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development has been practiced in early childcare settings for many years. A child’s…

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