What is Cerebral Palsy? 

    "A loss or deficiency of motor control with involuntary spasms caused by permanent brain damage present at birth." (by Websters Dictionary Online)

    In fact CP is the term used to describe a group of neurogical or motor disorders resulting from brain damage in the young child. Usually it's caused by the lack of oxygen during the birth process, the longer the child goes without oxygen, the greater the brain damage is.  Low birth weight has been shown to be related to increasing incidence as well. Though exact causes are not known, it's proven that specific chemicals - like alcohol, cocaine, and smoking - are significant factors. It's a known fact that modern hospital care, including monitoring and a high rate of Caesarian section, has lowered infant mortality rates but not the incidence of cerebral palsy. Additionally the chances to develop CP are still there after the birth. Events like injuries in early childhood can cause Cerebral Palsy as well.

    Conductive Education is more likely associated but not limited to CP. There are several disorders which are not Cerebral Palsy, but they are very similar. Some of these are: spinal cord dysfunction, spina bifida (meningomyelocele), and temporary motor problems caused by closed head injuries.

    Cerebral Palsy is usually classified by movement disorders (spastic, athetoid, mixed or ataxic) or by the body parts involved. A Spastic child is unable to relax its muscles, while an Athetoid is unable to control them. Mixed cases are known as well. Children with Cerebral Palsy might have additional problems like epilepsy, learning disabilities, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder and mental retardation.

After recognizing the fact that the child was born with CP, the first question usually is: 
                                What will my child be like?
Cerebral Palsy is a life-long condition. The prognosis after the birth is really difficult to make. Doctors usually determine the type of disorder within the first 24 months. Making forecasts about the child's mental capabilities is even harder. Therapists and conductors have disagreements about the necessary developmental order of capabilities as well.  There is something that everybody agrees with: with a few specific exception treatment given as early  as possible are more effective than years later. Though a balance between optimism and realism is in the best interest for both the parents and the child, physical expectations in Conductive Education are high from the beginning as well.

 


Statistics and facts:

  • Incidence (annual) of Cerebral Palsy: 2 to 2.5 per 1,000 births (FMC)
  • Incidence Rate: approx. 1 in 500 or 0.20% or 544,000 people in the USA


 

  • “Because cerebral palsy influences the way children develop, it is known as a developmental disability. In the United States today, more people have cerebral palsy than any other developmental disability, including Down syndrome, epilepsy, and autism. About two children out of every thousand born in this country have some type of cerebral palsy. Studies have shown that at least 5000 infants and toddlers and 1,200 - 1,500 preschoolers are diagnosed with cerebral palsy each year. In all, approximately 500,000 people in this country have some degree of cerebral palsy. There is not an American system for monitoring cerebral palsy's occurrence. Therefore it is not known whether the incidence of cerebral palsy is increasing, declining, or staying the same. However, studies have shown that the use of the electronic fetal heart rate monitor during labor and delivery has not decreased the rate of cerebral palsy primarily because of the mistakes made by doctors and nurses during the birthing process. About 17% of U.S. children under 18 years of age have a developmental disability. Approximately 2% of school-aged children in the U.S. have a serious developmental disability, such as mental retardation or cerebral palsy, and need special education services or supportive care.”

About Cerebral Palsy

http://www.about-cerebral-palsy.org/definition/statistics.html

 

  • “It is estimated that some 764,000 children and adults in the United States manifest one or more of the symptoms of cerebral palsy. Currently, about 8,000 babies and infants are diagnosed with the condition each year. In addition, some 1,200 - 1,500 preschool age children are recognized each year to have cerebral palsy.”
                                                                                                                             UCP
http://www.ucp.org/ucp_generaldoc.cfm/1/9/37/37-37/447

 
  • “The incidence is about 1.5 to 4 per 1000 live births. This amounts to approximately 5,000-10,000 babies born with cerebral palsy each year in the United States. Each year, around 1,500 preschoolers are diagnosed with the disorder. In around 70% of all cases, cerebral palsy is found with some other disorder, the most common being mental retardation.”

http://www.fact-index.com/c/ce/cerebral_palsy_1.html - Incidence%20and%20Prevalence



 
  • “Each year about 10,000 babies born in the United States develop cerebral palsy. Cerebral palsy is a disorder of movement or coordination caused by an abnormality of the brain. More than 80% of people with cerebral palsy developed it either before they were born or before they were a month old. In many instances, the cause of the brain abnormality is unknown.”

http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/factsheets/cp.pdf


 
  • “Studies of cerebral palsy prevalence in China, Malta, Slovenia, and India demonstrate rates identical to those of developed countries. The availability of electronic fetal monitoring and the capability of emergent cesarean within 30 minutes is generally lacking in these countries. This confirms that cerebral palsy is primarily a developmental event, not influenced by current obstetric technologies available in developed countries like the United States.”

 

Florida Obstetric and Gynecologic Society

http://www.flobgyn.org/services/cpalsy.php