TYPES OF CEREBRAL PALSY:
» SPASTIC CEREBRAL PALSY
The most common type of cerebral palsy, accounting for almost 79% of all cerebral palsy cases. Children with this type of cerebral palsy have one or more tight muscle groups which limit movement, and they have rigid and jerky movements. These children may also have a hard time grasping and letting go of objects. When both legs are affected (spastic diplegia), a child may have difficulty walking because tight muscles in the hips and legs cause legs to turn inward and cross at the knees (called scissoring).
In other cases, only one side of the body is affected (spastic hemiplegia), often with the arm more severely affected than the leg. Most severe is spastic quadriplegia, in which all four limbs and the trunk are affected, often along with the muscles controlling the mouth and tongue. Children with spastic quadriplegia often have mental retardation and other problems.
» ATHETOID CEREBRAL PALSY
Almost 11% of children with cerebral palsy have athetoid cerebral palsy, which is caused by damage to the cerebellum or basal ganglia. These areas of the brain are responsible for processing the signals that enable smooth, coordinated movements as well as maintaining body posture.
It is characterized by fluctuations in muscle tone (varying from too tight to too loose) and sometimes is associated with uncontrolled movements (which can be slow and writhing or rapid and jerky). Damage to these areas may cause a child to develop involuntary, purposeless movements, which often interfere with speaking, feeding, reaching, grasping, and other skills requiring coordinated movements.
» ATAXIC CEREBRAL PALSY
Almost 5% of children with cerebral palsy have ataxic cerebral palsy, which is characterized by poor muscle tone and shaky movements. This rare form of cerebral palsy affects the sense of balance and depth perception. Affected persons often have poor coordination and walk unsteadily with a wide based gait, placing their feet unusually far apart. Because of the shaky movements and problems coordinating their muscles, children with ataxic cerebral palsy may take longer than other children to complete certain tasks such and writing a sentence.
» MIXED CEREBRAL PALSY
Almost 5% of children with cerebral palsy have what is known a mixed-type cerebral palsy. These children have both the tight muscle tone of spastic cerebral palsy and the involuntary movements of athetoid cerebral palsy. This is because they have injuries to both the pyramidal and extrapyramidal areas of the brain. Usually the spasticity is more obvious at first, with involuntary movements increasing when the child is between nine months and three years old.
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