The Law Offices of Chaikin and Sherman, P.C.
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Cerebral Palsy
Virginia, Maryland, & Washington, D.C.
There are nearly 800,000 people in the United States living with complications resulting from cerebral palsy. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has estimated that one out of almost 280 births will result in a child being born with this birth injury. This is up from the previous number of one out of every 670 people born with cerebral palsy.
Cerebral palsy results when one or more parts of a child's brain are injured during development. It is one of the most common types of motor disabilities to occur in children. Many researchers cannot point to an exact cause, but many theories have been discussed. The health of the mother, multiple births, oxygen deprivation at the time of birth, and low birth rate or premature birth are all suspect causes of this birth injury.
Another cause of cerebral palsy that has been discussed is that of the child injured by a health care provider. Possible causes include:
- Improper use of vacuum or forceps extraction
- Prescribing wrong or inappropriate medicine during pregnancy
- Failure to treat jaundice in a timely manner
- Failure to respond to fetal distress in a timely manner
- Failure to respond to child's lack of oxygen
Neurological Problems
Neurological disorders that may occur as a result of cerebral palsy can be caused before, during, or just after birth. However, they may not be noticeable until the nervous system of the child matures. Some of these problems may be very mild, but some of them may be very severe. These problems are directly linked to the severity of the child's brain injury. Some of the most common symptoms and effects of cerebral palsy include:
- Learning disabilities - Depending on the severity of the brain damage will depend on the disabilities that affect the child's learning. However, some born with cerebral palsy have mental retardation
- Hearing loss - Partial hearing loss is not uncommon in cerebral palsy
- Paralysis or limited motor skills - Movement may be jerky and abrupt or slow, limbs may be held in strange positions, or muscles can be stiff or very relaxed
- Problems with swallowing - Problems with eating, drinking, sucking and controlling saliva may occur. People with cerebral palsy may drool, and aspiration is a concern since suffocation may result in death
- Speech impairment - Normal speech patterns may be a problem if the muscles of the mouth and tongue are affected
- Skeletal deformities - One side of the body may have shorter limbs than the other. This can lead to tilting of the pelvic bone or extreme scoliosis, and result in surgery needing to be performed
- Seizures - Nearly one-third of all patients of cerebral palsy experience seizures. They may appear early or later in life
Because early detection of cerebral palsy can increase your baby's chances for a fuller recovery, it is important that you have them tested if you believe something is wrong. Different types of therapy may be required for the rest of your child's life, and this can include full time at-home care, or even institutionalization.
If you believe your child's cerebral palsy is the result of a health care provider's negligence, please contact the experienced brain injury attorneys at Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata, and Siegel, P.C. We serve the Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia area.
