What is Cerebral Palsy?
March is Cerebral Palsy Awareness month!
Every March we raise awareness of the condition Cerebral Palsy or CP for short. So lets learn more about what CP is :-
What is CP (Cerebral Palsy)?
Cerebral Palsy (CP) is a condition that affects movement, muscle tone, and coordination. It happens due to damage to the developing brain, usually before or during birth, leaving brain damage that is permanent. It's not a disease, meaning it doesn’t get worse over time, but its effects can change as a person grows.
Because CP affects babies it can be very stressful for some to read or lean more about it.
Please be aware of this before reading the full article.
Some Causes
CP is caused by brain damage or abnormal brain development. This can happen due to:
Lack of oxygen during birth
Infections during pregnancy (like rubella or toxoplasmosis)
Premature birth (babies born too early have a higher risk)
Head injury in early life
Genetic mutations (though not always)
You cannot get CP as an adult - Cerebral palsy is a motor disability - meaning that it specifically affects movement - caused by damage to the brain before or during birth, or shortly after birth. Sometimes, milder forms of cerebral palsy may go unnoticed until the child demonstrates developmental delays.
Any sort of motor disability that occurs in later childhood or adulthood is not considered cerebral palsy. Similarly, you cannot “catch” cerebral palsy at any age; it is not contagious.
Cerebral palsy is a life-long condition, meaning that the brain damage that causes it will not go away over time. However, the brain has neuroplasticity, which is the ability to rewire itself and reassign affected functions to undamaged areas of the brain.
Through intensive training that focuses on high repetitions, individuals with cerebral palsy can promote neuroplasticity and improve their motor functions.
Additionally, early intervention is key to improving motor functions because children’s brains have greater levels of plasticity than adult brains.
Some Symptoms
Symptoms can range from mild to severe and vary from person to person. Some common ones include:
Muscle stiffness or weakness (some kids have very tight muscles, while others may have floppy ones)
Poor coordination and balance (trouble walking, running, or even sitting up straight or not at all)
Uncontrolled movements (shaky hands, jerky motions, tremors)
Speech and swallowing problems, (some may not be able to speak and may need feeding tubes)
Delayed development (late crawling, walking, or speaking) some may not move on their own
Cerebral palsy can be broadly classified into 4 different types:
Spastic (characterized by stiff movements and caused by damage to the motor cortex)
Dyskinetic (characterized by uncontrollable movements and caused by damage to the basal ganglia)
Ataxic (characterized by poor balance and coordination and caused by damage to the cerebellum)
Mixed (a combination of 2 or more types of CP)
Difficulties People with CP Face
Living with CP can bring challenges, such as:
Mobility issues – Some need wheelchairs, walkers, or braces, may need to be carried or moved.
Communication difficult or impossible– Speech can be slow or slurred, or not possible.
Everyday tasks can be tricky or impossible – Things like buttoning a shirt or holding a spoon might take extra effort. Some may need to be washed and dressed, and fed by a carer or parent.
Pain and fatigue – Stiff muscles and abnormal posture can lead to discomfort. There may be constant pain and tiredness.
Social challenges – Some may struggle with making friends or dealing with misconceptions about CP. Some may not be able to communicate effectively, or at all.
Don’t stare! Instead come and say hello or ask a question, we are friendly.
People with CP face many challenges, but like you or I many can also lead fulfilling lives with therapy, support, and adaptive tools. Sadly there are some people with CP that have extreme challenges and whose outcome may not be so hopeful. It’s all about remembering that everyone is individual and about finding what works best for each individual!
https://www.cerebralpalsyguide.com/blog/cerebral-palsy-awareness-month-2025/
https://www.cerebralpalsyguide.com/cerebral-palsy/statistics/
Written as part of the Disability Support Community Articles. More can be found here
If you have a condition or 'Awareness Campaign' that you feel we should recognise please message either myself @MistyMagic (teens and adults) or @AffyAvo (adults)
@MistyMagic
i tried replying and my kid hit my hand .. so it was incomplete.
i am glad you are bringing awareness to cerebral palsy. Unfortunately this doesn't cover the severe end of the scale.
people with cp many not be able to swallow safely, understand or comprehend. Communicate or even sit up.
The brain damage won’t get worse yes but the toll it takes on their bodies will even with intensive preventative measures.
i find it sad that all what you reference has absolutely no severe lifestyles outcomes. I get that painting it as not so bad and the reasoning behind it but it’s not being truthful if you exclude the severe cohort to fit the narrative.
some people will never have even a shot at independence or dignity (as you and me may see ours).
@LabeledBPD I thought Misty did a great job of explaining what CP is. It's difficult to cover all aspects at once! How CP affects someone varies so much from how it can affect someone else.
I do know a mother of a child with CP that was fairly severe and his life was fairly different that what other people with CP have shared here. Most of our interview diaries are about disabled people's direct experiences. We would be open to a post or interview though with a loved one of a disabled person, particularly when their disability hinders their ability to share their own story.
@AffyAvo
id be open to do that but apparently my comment has been deemed unsupported thus deleted apparently..
what’s the point . Our view point that doesn’t alone gets flagged, deleted and I get a message to say it’s deleted due to such.
it hurts I try speaking about the ignored, then get shut down because I’m not supportive.
Idk if you will even see this from a unsupportive self
@LabeledBPD Hi! I am so sorry I offended you, that would never be my intention, you know that. You are right there are extreme ends of the scale of CP and I realise now that I probably did not explain about those effectively so I have edited the post and I hope that it is better written now. I hope you will accept my apology.
The main thing is to raise awareness of CP during the month of March. We both know Cerebral Palsy is a very emotional topic for all involved, including those that visit and read the posts here at the Disability Support Community.