Kinds of Cerebral Palsy
When it comes to diagnosing cerebral palsy, there are different classifications based on the child’s motor impairment. Unfortunately, because cerebral palsy is a developmental delay disorder, it can be hard for a physician to make an accurate assessment when the child is still young. Although a general movement assessment in children less than four months of age can be fairly accurate, experts recommend waiting until the child is 36 months old before making a diagnosis. At that point, the diagnosis of cerebral palsy is more definitive, and physicians are able to distinguish between spastic, ataxic, and athetoid cerebral palsy more easily. With the help of our legal team at The Driscoll Firm, you can rest assured you have all the information you need to understand the different kinds of cerebral palsy.
Types of Cerebral Palsy
Cerebral palsy can be separated into four main types, which are as follows:
- Spastic – the most common type of cerebral palsy, affecting over 70% of those diagnosed with the disorder; spasticity, or muscle tightness, is the near exclusive impairment present in this disorder
- Ataxic – usually caused by damage to the cerebellum, occurring in 5-10% of all cases of cerebral palsy; motor skills are usually affected, causing an awkward gait
- Athetoid – this type of cerebral palsy is mixed muscle tone – both hypertonia and hypotonia; difficult for affected individuals to keep themselves upright; involuntary motions are sometimes triggered
- Mixed – includes symptoms from each of the three main types of cerebral palsy; as a result, mixed cerebral palsy is the most difficult to treat since it’s very heterogeneous and unpredictable over the individual’s lifespan
Cerebral palsy can be extremely difficult on a child and his or her family, regardless of which type of cerebral palsy the child has.
Discuss the Different Kinds of Cerebral Palsy with a Lawyer
Our lawyers at The Driscoll Firm understand that learning your child has cerebral palsy is difficult, especially when it is the result of a medical professional’s negligence. However, in these situations, it is possible to seek compensation from the party who caused your child to develop this disorder. To speak with an attorney about pursuing this much-needed compensation, contact our offices at (800) 900-7704.
