Big Words
Cerebral palsy may be classified either by the type of
movement problem (spastic, athetoid, or hypotonic) or by
the body parts involved (legs only, one arm and one leg,
or all four limbs). Motor ability and coordination vary
greatly from one child to another, and there are very
few statements that hold true for all children
with cerebral palsy
Spasticity
refers to the inability of a muscle to relax, while
athetosis
refers to an
inability to control the movement of a muscle. Infants who
at first are refers to the inability of a muscle to relax,
while
athetosis
refers to an inability to control the movement of a muscle.
Infants who at first are
hypotonic,
or very floppy, may latter develop Spasticity.
Hemiplegia
is cerebral palsy that involves one arm and one leg on the
same side of the body, whereas
diplegia
primarily involves both legs.
Quadriplegia
refers to a pattern involving all
four extremities as well as trunk and neck muscles.
Generally a
child with quadriplegia does not walk independently. Another
frequently used classification is
ataxia,
which refers to balance and coordination problems.
Although almost all children with cerebral palsy can be
classified as having Hemiplegia, diplegia, or quadriplegia,
there are significant overlaps that have led to the use of
additional terms, some of which are confusing. Occasionally
you'll encounter terms like
paraplegia,
double
Hemiplegia,
triplegia,
and
pentaplegia;
these classifications are also based on the parts of the
body involved.
By
type of movement:
Spastic -- rigid
Athetoid -- no muscle control
Hypotonic -- floppy
Ataxic -- balance and coordination
problems
Mixed
By
involved body parts
Hemiplegia -- one arm and one leg on
the same side of the body
Diplegia -- predominantly both legs
(arms also involved)
Quadriplegia -- all four extremities
Other terms
used to define specific problems of involvement or muscle
function include
dystonia,
tremor,ballismus
and
rigidity.
The words severe,
moderate and
mild are also often used in
combination with both type of movement and involved body
parts classification terms (severe
spastic diplegia, for example), but these qualifying
words do not have any specific meaning. They are subjective
words, and their meaning varies depending upon the person
who is using them.
