For Patients/Families

Cerebral palsy
This is an abnormality of muscle control that occurs because of a brain injury. It affects muscle strength, coordination, and may cause spasticity of muscles. It may or may not be associated with mental disability. Children with cerebral palsy may have difficulty with walking, speech, hearing and arm/hand coordination. The amount and type of involvement of these functions is variable and hard to predict at birth. It is an uncommon problem occurring in about 2 per 1000 infants. Cerebral palsy is associated with very premature delivery, problems that result in a loss of oxygen to the unborn infant and illness in the immediate post-delivery period.