How Severe Is My Child’S Cerebral Palsy?
What is Cerebral Palsy?
Cerebral palsy refers to a group of lifelong physical disabilities caused by damage to the brain during pregnancy, delivery, or shortly after birth. The word “cerebral” means something related to the brain, and the word “palsy” means a problem (weakness) with the muscles. According to theCerebral Palsy Alliance Research Foundation, 1 of every 323 babies born in the United States is diagnosed with cerebral palsy. They estimate that 18 million people worldwide have cerebral palsy, making it “the most common lifelong physical disability in the world.”
The Impact of Cerebral Palsy
Cerebral palsy affects our muscles in two main ways: paresis or plegia. Paresis refers to weakness, which means there is some ability to move the muscle. Plegia (or plegic) refers to paralysis, in which all voluntary movement is lost. It can affect any combination of our limbs, the right or left side of our bodies, or the top or bottom halves, or any combination thereof.
This weakness or paralysis can limit our ability to move and get around with or without mobility devices (gross motor function). It can affect our ability to handle or manipulate objects with our hands and fingers (manual ability). It can also impact our ability to speak. For some, there are even intellectual disabilities. Because there are so many varieties of ability and disability under the umbrella of cerebral palsy, there are multiple grading systems for the severity of the disorder.
CP & the Ability to Get Around: (GMFCS)
Created in 1997 by Dr. Robert Palisano and his team, the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) is designed to help provide a clear description of the child’s motor function, as it pertains to sitting, standing, and walking, as well as what mobility devices (e.g., crutches, wheelchairs, etc.) might be needed. Below are the 5 levels of the GMFCS, but for more info, clickhere.
(From the Can Childwebsite)
CP & the Ability to Use Hands: MACS
The Manual Ability Classification System MACS was developed to help families and healthcare providers describe how children with cerebral palsy are able to use their hands to handle objects in their daily activities. MACS was developed by a team of Swedish doctors in 2002. For more information on MACS, including videos of how to use it, clickhere.
(From the MACS.nuPDF)
CP & the Ability to Speak: CFCS
The Communication Function Classification System (CFCS) was developed to classify the ability to communicate for people with cerebral palsy. The initial development of the system was by Dr. Mary Jo Cooley Hidecker and her team in 2011. Originally designed for cerebral palsy, the CFCS is now used for any disability.
(From the CFCS.us website)
The causes of cerebral palsy are varied as well, and they can be due to issues that are genetic or biological (therefore unavoidable) or due to complications or errors during delivery (preventable). If your child developed CP due to a medical error, our Baltimore birth injury attorneys can help you identify any and all liable parties and fight to recover the compensation you need to get your child the high-quality care they deserve. AtBrown & Barron, LLC, we make it our mission to protect families’ rights against large hospitals and insurance companies.
We encourage you tocontact ustoday at(410) 547-0202to schedule a free consultation with our team.