Avery Cerebral Palsy - Symptoms & Impact of CP

Symptoms and Impact of Cerebral Palsy 

January 15th, 2024 by Fischer Avery 

Symptoms

The most common symptoms of cerebral palsy and its sub types include the following: 

• lack of muscle coordination in voluntary tasks
• exaggerated reflexes
• chronic pain
• weakness in one leg or arm
• stiff and tight muscles
• variations in muscle tone ranging from very tight to floppy
• delays in the achievement of motor development
• walking on the toes or a crouched gait
• tremors
• involuntary movement 
• difficulty with precise movement (Hallman-Cooper & Cabrero, 2022).

Different forms of cerebral palsy are defined by the set of entomology they include. Some of the symptoms that are experienced by specific sub-types of cerebral palsy include:

• difficulty with language and speech 
• intellectual disability
• seizures
• scoliosis (Hallman-Cooper & Cabrero, 2022).

CP Impacts Development

Milestones are an essential measuring tool for deciphering the trajectory of development within a child. For example, one milestone that children should be able to achieve is sitting up at 7 months or walking between 10-18 months. If a child fails to meet this milestone and cannot walk by themselves after the first 18 months of their life, it may reveal some underlying issue or condition that is affecting their development. Cerebral palsy impacts development by creating developmental delays, particularly when it comes to milestones related to motor movements. Diagnoses of cerebral palsy are most often carried out due to a suspicion of a more serious condition instigated by the lack of milestone achievement for the child. These delays in milestone achievement are attributed to brain damage accumulated in the womb, which can be due to a number of causes such as lack of blood or oxygen supply as the baby develops in the uterus (Vitrikas et al., 2020). 

CP Impacts Cognitive Skills

Although not everyone with cerebral palsy experiences symptoms related to their cognition, there are certainly a higher rate of cognitive symptoms experienced by those with cerebral palsy and its sub types than those who are not affected by this condition. Due to the nature of cerebral palsy often involving brain damage during development, intellectual and cognitive functioning is negatively affected in many cases of cerebral palsy. There is also evidence that suggests that temporal growth and development may be impeded on by abnormal posture, malformation, and muscle and joint contractions (Song, 2013). Around 50% of individuals with cerebral palsy experience intellectual disability, marked by a shortened attention span, difficulty processing emotions, poor language acquisition and skills, trouble learning and retaining new information, and poor memory. Interestingly, the severity of the decline in cognitive function is directly related to the severity of physical symptoms experienced case by case (Vitrikas et al., 2020). 

CP Impacts Emotions

Cerebral palsy has been found to have a strong relationship with the presence of emotional and behavioral problems in both adults and children alike. Rates of depression and anxiety are significantly higher in populations of people with cerebral palsy compared to the general population. Researchers have proposed several possible explanations as to why individuals with this condition exhibit behavioral and emotional regulation problems. Firstly, damage to the brain and specific areas like the hypothalamus and amygdala during early development in the womb may create deregulation of emotional processing and regulation due to faulty structure and communication between the neurons and associated brain regions. These structural differences in the brain and neuronal connections that would normally help regulate emotions are also exacerbated by the fact that, as previously states, the motor problems and abnormal posture of individuals with cerebral palsy may actually stunt the development of certain areas of the brain later in life. What this means is that even adults may be late or even unable to reach certain developmental milestones for their brain, leading to worse emotional regulation relative to the individual's age group (Vitrikas et al., 2020). . Lastly, another factor that may contribute to worse emotional regulation in populations of individuals with cerebral palsy may simply be caused by how they interpret their own condition. Individuals with cerebral palsy are born with a natural inability to enjoy functioning at a capacity that they are constantly able to see others performing at. This is understandably very upsetting and could be a very hard thing to cope with. Discrimination, prejudice, and bullying against the disabled could certainly be another factor that influences worse mental health and emotional regulation in populations of individuals with cerebral palsy. Feeling like an outcast or having trouble fitting in due to the physical limitations that individuals with cerebral palsy experience may influence them to feel as though the world is unfair, or that they may never be able to find a sense of community with their peers, which has a direct impact on their self-esteem (Munsch & Munsch, 2022). 

References

Hallman-Cooper, J. L., Cabrero, R. F. (2022). Cerebral Palsy. StatPearls Publishing. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK538147/

Munsch, L. E., & Munsch, J. (2021). Child Development: An Active Learning Approach (4th ed.). SAGE Publications, Inc. (US). https://reader.yuzu.com/books/9781544359717

The Pediatric Orthopedic Center. (n.d.). [Photograph of woman assisting child with CP]. https://pediatricorthopedics.com/cerebral-palsy-symptoms-and-treatments/ 

Song C. S. (2013). Relationships between Physical and Cognitive Functioning and Activities of Daily Living in Children with Cerebral Palsy. Journal of physical therapy science, 25(5), 619–622. https://doi.org/10.1589/jpts.25.619

Vitrikas, K., Dalton, H., & Breish, D. (2020). Cerebral palsy: an overview. American family physician, 101(4), 213-220.