Types of CP
Before I speak of the types of CP, I must say something first.  Damage is done to the area which controls the muscles.   Some children's muscle tone are tight and some are loose, but this all depends upon the degree of the brain damage.   Muscle tone lets children to keep their bodies in a certain position.  CP children are unable to change their muscle tone, and as a result, their movement tends to be jerky and/or wobbly.  There are three main types of cerebral palsy.  The first one is spastic cp, which is stiff and difficult muscle movement.  Second, there's athetoid, which is the involuntary and uncontrolled muscle movement.  And then there's ataxic, which is the disturbed sense of balance and depth perception.  A person must realize there's a possibility a person could have a combination of these types. Other types do occur, although infrequently.

Now lets discuss the different types of CP.

Spastic Cerebral Palsy

The term spastic is used to describe the muscle tone, depending upon if the muscles are  too high or too tight.  Children with spastic CP, experience stiff and jerky movements, and this is  because their muscles are too tight.  Children have a hard time moving from one position to another.  Or they might also have a hard time letting go of something in their hand.  Spastic CP is the most common type. About half of all people with CP have spastic CP.

Spastic CP can be divided into 5 subtypes.  Two of of these are very rare and will be mentioned so that you may have a complete education about CP.

Subtypes of spastic CP:


Monoplegia and Triplegia are very rare and is hardly found in literature.

50% of all people with CP have spastic CP. Although It's very common, people with spastic CP do tend to have a learning disability or be mentally retarded. This isn't true in all cases.

Athetoid Cerebral Palsy

Often seen are the unintentional and uncontrollable movements of the body.  Because of this, the person has a hard time holding themselves up in a steady position for sitting or walking.  Many people with this have to concentrate and work to do different things.  This type is seen in 30 percent of individuals with CP.  Here, parted of the brain, called the basil ganglia is damaged.  The whole body is affected by this type.  There's a large percentage of people with this type who's intelligence is average.

Ataxic Cerebral Palsy

Ataxic, pronounced [a-tax-ick], has to do with low muscle tone and poor coordination of movements.  Especially when a task is being done, there's a lot of shakiness going on.  Also, their balance is poor and they may look unsteady when they walk.  Because of problem with poor coordination, this individual may take longer to do a task, like writing something down.

Mixed Cerebral Palsy

This occurs where two or more types are combined.  The two most common types are: Atheroidic/Spastic-diplegic and Atheroid/Spastic-hemiplegic.  There can be a mixture of all three.  But the least common one is Atheroid/Ataxic.  A mixture of types may indeed account for 10 percent of all cases.
 
 
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