What is cerebral palsy?

Cerebral palsy is a problem that affects muscle tone, movement, and motor skills. It impairs the ability to move in a voluntary and coordinated manner. Cerebral palsy can affect body functions involving the use of motor and muscle skills such as breathing, sphincter control (stool and urine), feeding, and learning.

Cerebral palsy is usually the result of brain damage that occurs before or during the birth of the baby, or in the first 3 to 5 years of the child's life. Brain damage can also lead to other health problems, such as problems with vision, hearing, and speech.

The cause of cerebral palsy is unknown. But many cases occur as a result of a problem that affects the child's brain when it is still in the process of formation and development, before birth or during initial lactation. These problems may be due to:

• infections during pregnancy
• a stroke in the womb or after birth
• untreated jaundice (yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes)
• genetic disorders
• medical problems in the mother during pregnancy

There is wide variability in physical and cognitive disabilities (the ability to learn and understand) when it comes to cerebral palsy. Some children have many problems with movement and learning, while others do not. It all depends on the extent to which the brain is damaged. For example, a brain injury can be mild and affect only the part of the brain that controls gait. Or it may be much larger and affect parts of the brain that control speech and gait.

The brain damage caused by cerebral palsy can also affect other brain functions, which can lead to problems such as:

• visual impairment or blindness
• hearing losses
• aspiration of food (inhalation of food or liquid into the lungs)
• Gastroesophageal reflux (regurgitation)
• speech and/or drooling problems
• dental caries
• sleep disturbances
• osteoporosis (brittle, brittle bones)
• behavioral problems.
• learning disorders