How Cerebral Palsy Affects Daily Life

Published on September 4, 2024

Cerebral palsy is commonly described as both a movement disorder and a group of individual disorders impacting movement, posture, and balance, with the severity and combination of symptoms varying from one individual to another. Some cerebral palsy sufferers manage a degree of independence while others require 24-hour care. Regardless of the degree of impairment an individual with cerebral palsy suffers, the condition is permanent and affects all of an affected individual’s life.

What Causes Cerebral Palsy?

Cerebral palsy isn’t an inherited disorder but research suggests that heredity may cause a predisposition or vulnerability to cerebral palsy making some individuals more likely to develop the damage during birth or post-birth trauma than other infants who experience similar trauma. The condition itself, however, results from damage to a child’s developing brain, usually during the labor and delivery process due to a lack of oxygen to the brain. Less commonly, cerebral palsy occurs shortly after birth or in early childhood as the result of trauma or a medical condition. In cases where medical negligence plays a role, consulting a Phoenix medical malpractice attorney can help families understand their legal options. Cerebral palsy occurs due to the following:

• Damage to the brain’s white matter which is sensitive to injuries during pregnancy and labor
• Bleeding in an infant’s brain or a stroke caused by broken or blocked blood vessels in the brain
• Disruptions to the normal development of the brain due to infection, fever, or trauma
• Brain damage during the first months or early years of life
• Infant infections such as meningitis and encephalitis
• Disruption of the blood flow to the brain during labor and delivery, due to medical malpractice, or the disruption of blood flow after birth due to an accident, injury, or abuse

Cerebral Palsy isn’t curable, but medications and assistive equipment as well as physical, occupational, and speech therapies can help manage symptoms and maximize an affected individual’s quality of life.

Cerebral Palsy During Childhood

Children living with cerebral palsy exhibit many symptoms, often right from birth when they present as stiff or floppy. They may have difficulty feeding and typically miss milestones such as rolling over, crawling, walking, and developing or progressing in speech. Often they have uncontrolled movements, poor muscle tone, abnormal posture, and developmental delays. Children with cerebral palsy are often diagnosed with epilepsy and vision and hearing problems. Depending on the severity of a child’s symptoms, they may be diagnosed with cerebral palsy soon after birth, particularly when there was an emergency during labor and delivery, an infection during pregnancy, premature birth, or medical malpractice resulting in a birth injury.

In such cases, consulting a Phoenix cerebral palsy lawyer can help families seek justice and explore legal options for holding negligent medical professionals accountable.

Living With Cerebral Palsy Into Adulthood

Cerebral palsy affects all aspects of the individual’s daily life including the ability to eat, sleep, breathe, move, and communicate. Common symptoms include some or all of the following:

• Mobility problems ranging from walking with assistive devices to requiring a wheelchair
• Vision and hearing problems
• Epilepsy
• Intellectual disability and learning problems (In about half of all people with cerebral palsy)
• Problems with communication ranging from unclear speech to being non-verbal due to difficulty coordinating the mouth muscle movements needed to make precise sounds and sound combinations
• Problems swallowing and controlling saliva, making eating and drinking difficult
• Behavioral problems during childhood
• Abnormalities of the spine and hips
• Bladder and bowel control problems
• Limited range of motion and stiffness
• Tremors and jerky movements
• Problems with fine motor skills

Cerebral palsy is a severe disability, making it challenging but not impossible for individuals to obtain career goals and live a fulfilling life.