DEMYSTIFYING CEREBRAL PALSY
Asides his very amiable personality, he also had an enviable ambition of becoming a Medical Doctor just so he could "help people" like he put it, thus he was preparing for his O'Levels and subsequently UTME exam. His ambition was obviously not just an illusion as my interaction with him showed a high level of intelligence especially for someone with his health condition. I must add that he also had an admirable comportment, and this could partly be attributed to the acceptance and love from his parents and siblings.
The joy of parenthood is better experienced than explained thus every parent prays for healthy children. However, that, to a large extent, can only be determined by fate. So when there is a diagnosis or an observation that doesn't seem normal, panic sets in. Its worse when its a lifelong health disorder or challenge like Cerebral Palsy.
Cerebral palsy (CP) is an umbrella term for a group of disorders that affect muscle movement and coordination. In many cases, vision, hearing, and sensation are also affected.
Just as the word “cerebral” connotes, it has to do with the brain while the word “palsy” refers to weakness or problems associated with body movement. Hence Cerebral Palsy can be loosely translated as Brain Paralysis.
Cerebral Palsy (CP) is the most common cause of motor disabilities in childhood, and is known to affect at least 1.5 to 4 out of every 1,000 children worldwide.
The symptoms of CP vary from person-to-person and range from mild to severe. Some people with CP may have difficulty walking and sitting while others can have trouble grasping objects. The severity differs from child to child. For some children, the symptoms are a lot more severe or less severe over time. They also vary depending on the part of the brain that was affected.
Cerebral Palsy is caused by Abnormal brain development or injury to the developing brain, affecting the part of the brain that controls body movement, coordination, and posture.
For many, the brain damage usually occurs before birth, but it can also happen during birth or the first years of life. In most cases, the exact cause of CP isn’t known. Some of the possible causes include: a lack of oxygen to the brain during labor and delivery, gene mutations that result in abnormal brain development, severe jaundice in the infant, maternal infections, such as German measles and herpes simplex. Also brain infections, such as encephalitis and meningitis, intracranial hemorrhage, or bleeding into the brain, head injuries, a fall, or some degree of child abuse can all be attributed to Cerebral Palsy.
It sadly presents a long list of complicated disorders, manifestations that are most times scary challenges for parents and wards at the initial stage of discovery.
This is because most children born with CP do not show signs of a disorder until months or years later. Symptoms usually appear before a child reaches age 3 or 4. Some parents resort to living in denial at this stage and are at a loss as to how to deal with the challenge. The societal and cultural stigma especially for Africans doubles the burden. For these reasons, early diagnosis and treatment are very important for a child with CP to live a normal life and function within the society.
If there is an understanding of the cause of CP, then people can better understand that its a health conditions not a spiritual issue thus play down on the societal and cultural stigma against the child and parent.
The more common signs include:delays in reaching motor skill milestones, such as rolling over, sitting up alone, or crawling, also variation in muscle tone, such as being too floppy or too stiff. They experience delays in speech development thus have speaking difficulties. A child with CP experiences muscle stiffness, and exaggerated reflexes. They experience ataxia, or a lack of muscle coordination tremors or uncontrolled movements, excessive drooling and problems with swallowing, difficulty walking favoring one side of the body, problems with posture and balance, mental retardation, neurological problems, such as seizures, intellectual disabilities, and blindness. Also they may experience bladder and bowel control problems, dental problems as well as skeletal deformities.
There are certain factors that puts babies at an increased risk for CP. They range from premature birth to low birth weight, being a twin or triplet, a low Apgar score, which is used to assess the physical health of babies at birth, breech birth, which occurs when your baby’s buttocks or feet come out first, Rh incompatibility, which occurs when a mother’s blood Rh type is incompatible with her baby’s blood Rh type, as well as maternal exposure to toxic substances such as methyl mercury while pregnant.
In most cases, CP is a result of a combination of prenatal, perinatal and postnatal factors.
Considering all of these, a Child with Cerebral Palsy needs and should be given lots of attention as well as shown loads of love. Their families, parents especially should be encouraged and supported as it is challenging to care for a Special Needs Child. When they are of school age, it is best to get them enrolled in Special Schools with Specialised Teachers/Caregivers and specialized Curriculum to help them function properly in the society. A strong support system is very important in dealing with a Special Needs child and their families too.
Ref:
www.emedicinehealth.com
www.healthline.com
©Written by Nelly Nwaka Ohuche. Sept 2019.
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