Cerebral Palsy (CP): Early Detection Signs

Cerebral Palsy Is A Common Childhood Motor Disability

Nearly 1 in every 345 American children are diagnosed with cerebral palsy each year.

Learning the serious early detection signs of cerebral palsy can allow your child to get early access to the medical care they need and significantly increase your child’s standard of living.

Children with cerebral palsy may have a hard time sitting upright, holding up their head or positioning themselves like other children of the same age do.
They may also heavily favor a specific side when reaching for things, crawling, or standing.

Your child may feel “floppy” when picked up or held.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, your child may feel too rigid when picked up as compared to other children of their same age.

Your child may have difficulty doing some of the fine motor skills which other children of their age do, such as picking up their toys, wrapping their hands around your finger, or grasping food. They may also demonstrate “fisting” or keeping their hands balled up

Speaking, eating and mouth control might be difficult for your child if they have cerebral palsy.
Your child may also drool more than average. This can be difficult to see in babies but becomes more pronounced with age.

All babies and children experience development milestones, like crawling, reaching, first sounds and words, as well as their first time siting, standing and walking on their own.
Babies and children with cerebral palsy often do not experience these milestones. Even if they do, they often struggle to obtain them or are delayed in reaching milestones.

Be sure to inform your child’s doctor as soon as possible. Cerebral palsy is serious and requires early intervention and access to comprehensive therapies to give your child the best possible opportunity for an improved quality of life.
Get your child tested for CP and rule out other possible medical issues.
Seek care and continue to learn more about the disease.
If you suspect that your child’s CP was caused by medical malpractice or complications at birth, then contact the cerebral palsy lawyers at VSCP LAW to have your child’s medical care evaluated.

Unfortunately, CP is sometimes caused by medical malpractice or negligence that occurred surrounding a child’s birth. If this happened, you and your child are entitled to compensation for the significant medical costs and long-term care needs that are associated with having a child with CP.
Seeking medical compensation from the hospital or medical provider at fault for a CP diagnosis can help your child and your family move on with your lives and get the compensation you deserve in order to assist with your child’s lifetime care needs.
Proper medical care, therapies and management can give your child the highest possible quality of life despite the lifetime of challenges presented by CP.

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