Cerebral Palsy Symptoms and Effects | Gillette Children’s …

The symptoms and effects of cerebral palsy vary, depending on the location and extent of the injury to the brain. Your child might have normal intelligence, or have learning difficulties. Your child might have mild difficulties with movement, or be unable to control their limbs. Despite the variations in symptoms, certain effects are common among people who have cerebral palsy.

Typical cerebral palsy symptoms include:

Primary effects of cerebral palsy may improve with some treatments.

As your child grows and develops, the primary effects of cerebral palsy can lead to secondary effects, including:

Treatments can often slow or correct secondary effects of cerebral palsy.

The primary and secondary effects of cerebral palsy can lead your child to adopt coping responsesways of moving that compensate for challenges. For example, abnormal muscle tone in the legs can result in stiff knees that make walking difficult. Your child might compensate for this challenge by swinging their legs in a circle rather than a straight line when walking.

These effects typically improve following treatment of primary and secondary effects, especially if patients undergo rehabilitation therapy as part of a treatment plan.

Depending on how much and where the brain is injured, a child who has cerebral palsy might experience additional health, thinking and learning challenges like:

The brain-related issues that cause cerebral palsy dont get worse over time. However, the effects of cerebral palsy often progress as people get olderespecially without adequate treatment. For example, muscles that can support your 40-pound child might be too weak to support your child as a 130-pound adult. In addition, atypical muscle tone causes atypical stress on the joints, which can wear out or become painful.

Thats why children who have cerebral palsy sometimes lose abilitiessuch as walkingwhen they grow older. People who have cerebral palsy might begin noticing the effects of aging in early adulthood. Cerebral palsy requires a lifetime of expert medical care. Learn about services for teens and adults at Gillette Children'sSpecialty Healthcare adult clinic.

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Cerebral Palsy Symptoms and Effects | Gillette Children's ...