Types of Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy, known as CP for short, is actually a group of similar neurological disorders that affect body movement and muscle coordination. CP is caused by brain damage or abnormal brain development, usually before or during birth, but it can also happen during the first months or years of a child’s life. Medical professionals give CP one of several classifications based on the type of movement disorder involved. The most common type of CP is cerebral palsy. People with this type of CP have stiff muscles that make their movements appear awkward.

Cerebral palsy affects approximately 80 percent of patients with CP. Because different parts of the body can be affected, doctors break it down into subcategories. If the muscle stiffness is more in the legs, with the arms less affected or not at all, doctors describe it as diplegia or diparesis. Individuals with this type of CP may find it difficult to walk, as their tight leg and hip muscles make their legs pull together and turn inward, and their knees cross like scissors.

If cerebral palsy affects just one side of an individual’s body—for example, both the arm and leg on only the left or right side—it’s called hemiplegia, which comes from the Greek terms for half and paralysis. This type of cerebral palsy may not result in paralysis, in which case it’s referred to as hemiparesis, which means that one half of the body is weakened but not paralyzed. The most severe type of CP is classified as quadriplegia or quadriparesis, which affects the trunk, face, and all four limbs.

Individuals with this condition cannot walk and often have other developmental disorders, such as intellectual disability, seizures, and hearing, speech, or vision problems. A different category of CP is dyskinetic cerebral palsy. Individuals with this type of disorder have a difficult time controlling movement of their feet, legs, arms, and hands, which often leads to problems sitting or walking.

Dyskinetic CP makes their movement uncontrollable, slow and twisting, or quick and jerky. This disorder sometimes affects their face and tongue, making it hard to suck, swallow, and even talk. The muscle tone of an individual with dyskinetic cerebral palsy can vary from too loose to too tight from day to day. Ataxic cerebral palsy causes problems with balance and coordination due to damage of the brain’s motor control centers. An individual with ataxic CP may have a challenging time with either fast movements or movements that require a lot of control, like writing. It can also make them unsteady while walking. 

They may even find it difficult to control their arms or hands when trying to reach for something. An individual can have the symptoms of more than one type of cerebral palsy, which is called mixed cerebral palsy. A more common type of mixed CP is dyskinetic cerebral palsy. The signs of cerebral palsy can vary greatly because there are many different levels and types of disability. If your young child has difficulty walking, rolling over, standing, or sitting, you should contact your family doctor immediately. There are abundant resources available to help you provide your child with a healthy and fulfilling life. If you are interested in learning more about cerebral palsy, its effects, treatments, and more, please visit BirthInjuryCenter.org.