The child brain paralysis (PCI) is the group of disorders that affect a child’s ability to move and maintain balance and, therefore, posture. In childhood, it is the most common motor disability and is caused by abnormal brain development or developmental damage to the brain that affects a person’s ability to control muscles.
As for the symptoms, these will vary from one child to another. They may even need a special equipment to be able to walk or who cannot walk at all and need lifelong care.
Children with infantile cerebral palsy may walk with difficulty
Children with mild infantile cerebral palsy, on the other hand, may walk with difficulty but do not need any special help. This disability, what is true is that does not get worse over timealthough the symptoms can vary throughout the person’s life.
It is normal that all people with this disability have problems with movement and posture. Many children even have related conditions such as intellectual disabilityseizures, vision, hearing or speech problems, changes in the spine (such as scoliosis), or joint problems (such as contractures).
Types that exist
Doctors usually classify childhood cerebral palsy based on the main type of movement disorder involved. According to affected brain areasone or more of the following movement disorders may occur, such as:
- Muscle stiffness (spasticity)
- Involuntary movements (dyskinesia).
- Lack of balance and coordination (ataxia).
Early signs of childhood cerebral palsy
The main sign to detect it is that the child has a delay in reaching motor development milestones or movement. Other possible signs of cerebral palsy (although some children present them without this indicating that they have paralysis), are the following:
Babies under 6 months:
- They appear to have a rigid and/or flaccid body.
- When you lift them, your legs become stiff and your legs cross.
- When you lift them from lying on their back, their head hangs back.
- When cradled in your arms, they seem to stretch their back and neck excessively, as if they were constantly trying to move away.
Babies over 6 months old:
- They can’t put their hands together.
- They have difficulty putting their hands to their mouth.
- They extend only one hand to grab the things and keep the other hand gripped.
- They do not flip or roll to either side.
Babies over 10 months old:
- They crawl unevenly, pushing with only one leg and one arm while dragging the opposite leg and arm.
- They move by jumping in a sitting or kneeling position, but do not crawl with their arms and legs.