Cerebral Palsy
With thanks to Frank Bernard, Jr., "Funny as a Crutch" , www.gis.net/~frankieb/
Cerebral Palsy (CP) is a non-progressive condition caused by damage to the brain, usually occurring before, during or shortly following birth. “Cerebral” refers to brain and “palsy” refers to a disorder of movement or posture.
TYPES OF CEREBRAL PALSY
Spastic: Muscles are tense, contracted and resistant to movement. This makes muscle movement ˇ°jerkyˇ± and uncertain. These individuals have exaggerated stretch reflexes that cause them to respond to rapid passive stretching with vigorous muscle contractions. Spastic CP is the most common type of CP.
Athetoid: Characterized by involuntary movements of the body parts affected. The hands may twist and turn, and often there is facial grimacing, tonguing and drooling. Because of the presence of primitive reflexes and inability to control muscles, posture is unpredictable.
Ataxia: Disturbance or lack of balance and coordination. Individual may sway when standing, have trouble maintaining balance and may walk with feet spread wide apart to avoid falling. disturbance or lack of balance and coordination. Individual may sway when standing, have trouble maintaining balance and may walk with feet spread wide apart to avoid falling.
CAUSES OF CEREBRAL PALSY *
| Illness during pregnancy | Lack of oxygen supply to the fetus | Child abuse |
| Premature delivery | Lead poisoning | Illness early in the infant's life |
* The most common cause of Cerebral Palsy is insufficient oxygen to the fetus or newborn's brain.
| Persistence of primitive reflexes | Involuntary movement | Disturbance in gait and mobility |
| Slow to develop equilibrium reflexes | Loss of perceptual ability | Seizures |
| Hyperactivity | Spasms | Difficulty with speech |
| Learning disability or mental retardation | Poor depth perception and poor tracking ability due to difficulty with coordinating eye movements | |
TEACHING TIPS FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH CEREBRAL PALSY
Take caution at the hip joint when doing activities. Individuals with CP
who use wheelchairs are at high risk for hip dislocation.
Adapt activities and modify rules and/or the environment to permit participation in
group games.
Use larger balls that enable the fingers to be in extension. This inhibits the hand
grasp reflex.
Teach striking activities with an open hand (e.g., use a tether ball or a balloon
suspended on a string).
Utilize communication boards.
Provide frequent rest periods.
Integrate relaxation training into the lesson.
SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH CEREBRAL PALSY
| Stretching exercises | Tether ball or balloon activities |
| Manual wheelchair maneuvers to build upper body strength | Soccer (individual can use the wheelchair to kick the ball) |
| Aquatic activities | Physical fitness activities to strengthen large and small muscle groups |
| Bowling | Rhythm activities |
| Baseball (use a plastic bat and ball, e.g. , placed on a cone, or suspended on a string) | |
Links
Cerebral Palsy Information Site
Information on this sheet contains only suggested guidelines. Each person must be considered individually, and in many cases, a physician's written consent should be obtained. Developed by Texas Woman's University Graduate Adapted Physical Education Program in cooperation with Denton ISD (French, 1997).