Symptoms of Cerebral Palsy
Before a child is born, when the child is still in the womb and is going through body and brain development – certain circumstances like lack of oxygen, or it can be genetics that can cause lack of development in the brain, somehow if the blood supply to the brain stops or it could be an infection in the brain etc. can be the cause of some abnormal brain development. In such a case, the child will start to show certain symptoms like – improper movements, or body movements that are not exactly desired.
This is basically a movement and muscle disorder, but a person suffering from cerebral palsy can suffer from other symptoms, such as eye, ear etc.
Following is a list of symptoms and signs that are caused due to cerebral palsy:
1) Slow growth of basic child movements – When children are growing, they do basic movements first, like rolling over, trying to catch objects with one hand and then start to crawl or walk, etc. All these movements will come at a later and much delayed stage for the child suffering from cerebral palsy.
2) Uncontrolled movements – The muscles will be stiff and the reflexes can be normal or exaggerated. The muscles might not be coordinated properly.
3) Partial body usage – Certain part of the body will be used more, like using one hand or dragging one leg and using the other.
4) Improper movements – The affected child might not walk properly, like walking on toes rather than the feet.
5) Eating disorders – Might have trouble in swallowing foods or simply eating.
6) Talking problems – Talking properly is something that requires good control over speech, and someone suffering from CP might find it difficult.
7) Difficulty with fine movements – Certain actions requires a fine hand movement, like holding spoon etc.
8) Neurological problems – someone suffering from Cerebral palsy might face a number of neurological problems, like – eyes not working correctly or ear related disorders. These problems range from dental to mental and even seizures.
9) Drooling – If the muscles of the mouth is affected then drooling will be possible. In that case, face and chest will be affected too because of the drool.
10) Side-effect symptoms – Certain symptoms might not be direct, like having pain while brushing the teeth but due to that dental problems might start to show up in future. Also, seizures and lack of muscle control can cause accidents which can lead to a number of problems.