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Cerebral Palsy
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Big Words
Cerebral palsy may be classified
either by the type of movement problem
(spastic, athetoid, or hypotonic) or by the body parts
involved (legs only, one arm and one leg,
or all four limbs). Motor ability and coordination vary
greatly from one child to another, and there are very few statements
that hold true for all children with cerebral palsy
Spasticity refers to the
inability of a muscle to relax, while
athetosis refers to an inability to control the movement
of a muscle. Infants who at first are refers to the inability of a
muscle to relax, while athetosis refers to an inability to control
the movement of a muscle. Infants who at first are hypotonic, or
very floppy, may latter develop Spasticity.
Hemiplegia is cerebral palsy that
involves one arm and one leg on the same side of the body, whereas
diplegia primarily involves both
legs. Quadriplegia refers to a
pattern involving all four extremities as well as trunk and neck
muscles.
Generally a child with quadriplegia does not walk independently.
Another frequently used classification is
ataxia, which refers to balance and coordination
problems.
Although almost all children with cerebral palsy can be classified
as having Hemiplegia, diplegia, or quadriplegia, there are
significant overlaps that have led to the use of additional terms,
some of which are confusing. Occasionally you'll encounter terms
like paraplegia, double Hemiplegia,
triplegia, and pentaplegia;
these classifications are also based on the parts of the body
involved.
By type of movement:
Spastic -- rigid
Athetoid -- no muscle control
Hypotonic -- floppy
Ataxic -- balance and
coordination problems
Mixed
By involved body parts
Hemiplegia -- one arm and one
leg on the same side of the body
Diplegia -- predominantly both
legs (arms also involved)
Quadriplegia -- all four
extremities
Other terms used to define specific problems of involvement or
muscle function include dystonia,
tremor,ballismus
and rigidity. The words
severe,
moderate and mild
are also often used in combination with both type of movement and
involved body parts classification terms
(severe spastic diplegia, for example), but these
qualifying words do not have any specific meaning. They are
subjective words, and their meaning varies depending upon the person
who is using them.
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