Cerebral Palsy

The term cerebral palsy encompasses a large group of conditions that are not contagious and are not degenerative. This means that we can’t get it from someone else when you are around them and that they do not progress with age, although the full scope of impairment may not be readily assessed. It is damage to the cerebellum or other parts of the brain that control motor function in the individuals. And a common misconception is that people suffering from cerebral palsy have mental retardation. Only those that had damage to the frontal cerebral cortex or hippocampus actually have mental retardation. Some palsy sufferers have learning disabilities, it is not usually reflective of thier IQ. There is only a very small amount of known cerebral palsy that is genetic, and cerebral palsy due to asphyxia, or lack or oxygen to the brain during pregnancy, childbirth or infancy is a just a one cause of cerebral palsy. Others include, but are not limited to, low birth weight or premature births, trauma during pregnancy or birth, shaken baby syndrome, and infections and interference due to cytokines (bodies natural reaction to infection).