Cerebral palsy is caused by brain injury or brain malformation that occurs before, during, or immediately after birth while the infants brain is under development. But how a brain injury affects a childs motor functioning and intellectual abilities is highly dependent on the nature of a brain injury, where the damage occurs, and how severe it is. The cause of cerebral palsy is a brain injury or brain malformation that occurs while the brain is developing before, during, or after birth. As a result of the brain damage during brain development a childs muscle control, muscle coordination, muscle tone, reflex, posture and balance can be affected. It can also impact a childs fine motor skills, gross motor skills, and oral motor functioning. Every case of cerebral palsy is unique to the individual. This is due in part by the type of injury, extent of injury, and the timing of injury to the developing brain. The brain damage that causes cerebral palsy is a result of either: The brain damage that causes motor impairment in cerebral palsy results from one of four types of brain injury or brain malformation. Lack of oxygen to the brain, asphyxia, or intrapartum asphyxia Learn more … Continue reading →

A LLYSFAEN boy who was unable to walk due to cerebral palsy and underwent life-changing surgery walked straight into school on his first day last week. Kyle Weaver, aged four, proudly strode into Ysgol Cynfran, after just last year undergoing a three-and-a-half-hour operation on his legs in Missouri, USA, which helped him onto his feet for the first time. His mother Sam and father Simon described it as an amazing moment. Mrs Weaver said: It was a massive thing for us. We never thought we'd see him walk in to school when we first had the diagnosis of cerebral palsy. I was anxious about it all over the summer, just thinking about it a lot. I even took a day off work just to make sure everything was ok and I was sitting at home thinking about him all day. But he was fine, he just walked straight into school and he enjoyed it. It was just lovely to see him in there, in his uniform - I was so proud. I definitely feel like hes in safe hands there. Link: Kyle Weaver walks into school after 'life-changing' surgery … Continue reading →

Brooklyn Fisher rolls down the ramp on the playground named for her in Pocatello, Idaho. The playground was built using accessible features so children of all abilities could play alongside each other. John W. Poole/NPR hide caption Brooklyn Fisher rolls down the ramp on the playground named for her in Pocatello, Idaho. The playground was built using accessible features so children of all abilities could play alongside each other. Janna Espinoza's daughter Coraline has hearing loss, cerebral palsy, epilepsy and developmental delays. Nearly 2 years old, she can't sit up, stand, creep or use her hands as a typically developing child does. Coraline is among an estimated 6.4 million children in the U.S. with a disability. And for these kids the simple ritual of playing outside can get very complicated. "My daughter can't do very much at a typical playground, except watch her older sister play," says Espinoza. "Playgrounds are a depressing place for us." On a typical playground, danger lurks just about everywhere. "The infant bucket swings are not safe," explains Espinoza. "She can't go down the slide. She can't play in the sand unless she is on her stomach." Safety fence: A fence contains children within the playground … Continue reading →

MAP: Find the playgrounds near you Janna Espinoza's daughter Coraline has hearing loss, cerebral palsy, epilepsy and developmental delays. Nearly 2 years old, she can't sit up, stand, creep or use her hands as a typically developing child does. Coraline is among an estimated 6.4 million children in the U.S. with a disability. And for these kids the simple ritual of playing outside can get very complicated. "My daughter can't do very much at a typical playground, except watch her older sister play," says Espinoza. "Playgrounds are a depressing place for us." On a typical playground, danger lurks just about everywhere. "The infant bucket swings are not safe," explains Espinoza. "She can't go down the slide. She can't play in the sand unless she is on her stomach." Finding a place to play is a big challenge for children like these, and their parents. Sometimes, they must create one. Espinoza's community worked for a year to raise money for Tatum's Garden, a playground in Salinas, Calif., designed for everyone to enjoy. It's one of 2,505 playgrounds in 48 states and DC and 996 cities listed in our Playgrounds for Everyone app. NPR has spent the last year crowdsourcing the list. … Continue reading →