Classifications of Cerebral Palsy

• Cerebral Palsy
• Cerebral Palsy Classifications

How Do You Classify Cerebral Palsy?

Cerebral palsy is not a “one-size-fits-all” diagnosis. This is because it isn’t just one condition, but rather a group of neurological conditions. These conditions can permanently impact a child’s movement, posture, balance, speaking, swallowing, and cognitive functioning.

Doctors will break a cerebral palsy diagnosis down into multiple subgroups. A child’s specific diagnosis will depend on what part of their brain sustained injury and the visible symptoms during childhood.

Doctors classify cerebral palsy by severity of symptoms, the limb(s) affected, and overall impact to the child’s gross motor function.

It is important for parents to understand their child’s cerebral palsy diagnosis what to expect from it. When parents understand what their child goes through, it helps them understand how to best support them.

Cerebral Palsy Malpractice Attorneys

Our top rated cerebral palsy attorneys specialize in birth injury medical malpractice. We understand how medical mistakes during delivery can cause brain injuries that permanently impact a child’s life.

If your baby’s preventable birth injuries led to a cerebral palsy diagnosis, don’t hesitate to contact our firm. We can answer difficult legal and medical questions and investigate the facts on your behalf.

Free Legal Consultation
Cerebral Palsy Lawyers
(888) 987-0005

Our Cerebral Palsy Lawyers are available to meet you in your home or the hospital.

Our vast network of medical experts and in-house nursing staff and nurse-attorneys gives us the edge over our competition. When we take your case, we assign you with not just an attorney but an entire medical team. This team includes attorneys, experienced nursing advocates, and seasoned medical experts.

We understand the extensive care your child requires to assist with their cerebral palsy symptoms. Your team is available to assist with any day-to-day treatment you or your child may need. This includes assistance with obtaining medical records, scheduling doctors’ appointments, providing transportation, and any other problems that may arise.

We offer all of this on a contingency fee basis. This means you will not pay any fees until after we win your case and secure a settlement. Our unmatched track record of birth injury results sets us apart from other birth injury law firms.

Recent Birth Injury Settlement:
Cerebral Palsy Birth Injury settlement against a hospital in which nurses and physicians failed to detect a uterine rupture during delivery causing an HIE event which caused cerebral palsy. Our dedicated cerebral palsy birth injury lawyers recovered $9,200,000 for the family to help with future medical expenses and developmental therapy.

Million Dollar Results

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What is Cerebral Palsy?

At the core of any cerebral palsy diagnosis is dysfunction within the nervous system. This is a group of organs inside the body that includes the nerves, the spinal cord, and the brain. The nervous system regulates the entire body’s function and is responsible for controlling movement.

Cells called motor neurons travel through the nerves to transmit signals from the brain to the spinal cord. The spinal cord eventually sends that message to different muscles in the body. The muscle fibers contract as a response, triggering movement.

Brain damage at birthaffects the brain’s ability to transmit these motor signals to the appropriate parts of the body.

It can sometimes result in unpredictable muscle spasms and the inability to control muscle movement. In other cases, it can cause complete paralysis of certain limbs or parts of the body.

These movement disorders may also coincide with other birth complications like seizures and epilepsy, vision impairments, delayed developmental milestones.

More specific symptoms of cerebral palsy will depend on the exact location of the child’s brain injury and it's severity.

What Are the Four Types of Cerebral Palsy?

There are four main types of cerebral palsy, but each type has even smaller subgroups based on the presenting symptoms. Each type of cerebral palsy relates to where damage occurred in the child’s brain.

What is Spastic Cerebral Palsy?

Spastic Cerebral Palsy is the most common form of cerebral palsy, accounting for nearly 80% of all cases. It stems from damage to the motor cortex, a part of the brain responsible for motor function and cognitive abilities.

Spasticity refers to an abnormal muscle movement pattern where the muscles in the body randomly contract and tighten. It is a state of hypertonia where muscle tone increases, resulting in stiffness and difficulty moving. These contractions will often cause spasms (or muscle cramps) that will add on to the child’s pain and discomfort.

Spasticity is not limited to children with spastic cerebral palsy. Children with dyskinetic and mixed cerebral palsy also experience varying degrees of spasticity.

Spastic cerebral palsy is unique in that it typically affects only specific areas or parts of the body. The three most common sub-classifications of spastic cerebral palsy include:

Spastic Diplegia

Spastic Diplegia is a type of muscle stiffness that primarily affects the legs. It also may cause mild stiffness or spasticity in the arms in some cases. Approximately 35% of children with cerebral palsy have spastic diplegia. Diplegia is common in children born prematurely with cerebral palsy.

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Spastic Hemiplegia

Spastic Hemiplegia typically affects muscles on one side of the body. In most cases, it affects the arms more than the legs. Children with this type of cerebral palsy will sometimes have rigidly flexed elbows or wrists that are difficult to move.

About Spastic Hemiplegia

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Spastic Quadriplegia

Spastic Quadriplegia is the most severe form of cerebral palsy that affects both the arms and legs. It may also impact the muscles in the torso and even cause facial paralysis. According to Translational Pediatrics, 20% of infants with cerebral palsy have spastic quadriplegia.

Children with spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy often have trouble walking, encounter speech impairments, or have seizures. A child born with this condition usually requires lifetime birth injury treatment and support.

What is the Prognosis for Spastic Cerebral Palsy?

Spastic cerebral palsy isn’t a progressive disorder, meaning the brain injury doesn’t worsen over time. However, the gradual wearing down of the muscles and joints over time can cause a child’s symptoms to worsen.

Children with spastic cerebral palsy may eventually need medical procedures to help relieve pain. This may include a selective dorsal rhizotomy, hip muscle release procedures, or osteotomy surgery.

About Spastic Cerebral Palsy

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What is Dyskinetic Cerebral Palsy?

Dyskinetic Cerebral Palsy is the second most common form of cerebral palsy, albeit much rarer than spastic cerebral palsy. Doctors sometimes refer to this type as athetoid cerebral palsy. ‘Athetosis’ refers to slow, writhing and twisting movements that are involuntary.

Deep within the center of the brain lies the basal ganglia, a region connected to the brainstem and spinal cord. Like the motor cortex, the basal ganglia plays a critical role in controlling movement and motor function.

Injuries to this region of the brain cause dyskinetic cerebral palsy, characterized by involuntary muscle contractions (dystonia), spasms, and twitching.

Three Types of Dyskinetic Cerebral Palsy Movement Disorders

Brain damage at birth to the basal ganglia can manifest in a number of distinct movement disorders. The three most common types of movement disorders for children with dyskinetic cerebral palsy include:

Athetosis

Athetosis is a symptom of slow, involuntary twisting movements in the hands, fingers, toes, arms, legs, and the neck. Doctors may classify children with severe athetosis as having “athetoid cerebral palsy”.

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Dystonia

Dystonia is another subset of involuntary movement disorders that cause repetitive twisting movements and unnatural postures. This can commonly manifest in the form of cervical dystonia, which specifically affects the child’s head and neck muscles.

About Cervical Dystonia

Chorea

Chorea is a cerebral palsy symptom similar to athetosis that causes involuntary muscle movements. But unlike athetosis, chorea will more commonly affect the child’s face, trunk, and vocal cords.

Children with chorea symptoms may experience constant headaches, slurred speech impairment, and seizures.

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Clinical Manifestations of Dyskinetic Cerebral Palsy

Although certain symptoms of dyskinetic cerebral palsy may appear at birth, they may not become fully apparent until early childhood. There isn’t a specific test for dyskinetic cerebral palsy, but doctors can assess multiple facets of a child’s symptoms, including:

• Developmental milestones
• Reflexes
• Types of Movement
• Muscle Tone

Doctors may decide to use neuroimaging tests to scan the child’s brain to pinpoint the exact location of the damage. This can help them get a better understanding on how to classify the child’s cerebral palsy symptoms. If the scans come back showing basal ganglia brain injuries, then it is likely the child has dyskinetic cerebral palsy.

About Dyskinetic Cerebral Palsy

What is Ataxic Cerebral Palsy?

As one of the rarest forms of the disorder, ataxic cerebral palsy primarily affects a child’s balance and coordination. Ataxic comes from the word “ataxia” which means a lack of coordination or order.

Like all forms of cerebral palsy, ataxic cerebral palsy develops from a brain injury during early childhood. This includes hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy injuries, the most common form of brain damage before, during, and after birth.

Ataxic cerebral palsy symptoms specifically stem from injuries to the cerebellum. This is the part of the brain responsible for regulating balance and posture. It also assists with other motor learning skills like speech and emotional processing.

A key feature of ataxic cerebral palsy is the lack of muscle tone, known as hypotonia.

Children with ataxic cerebral palsy usually have trouble maintaining coordination and control over their bodily movements. It also may compromise their depth perception (ability to judge how close or far away an object is from them).

Children with ataxia may struggle to perform voluntary movements such as picking up objects or walking. They may exhibit a widened stance while walking to avoid stumbling and falling over.

Cerebellum damage can also cause speech impairments like dysarthria. This is a condition where a child’s speech comes out unclear. The muscle spasms in the child’s throat can cause their words to sound slurred, slow, mumbled, or strained. Children with ataxia commonly display this cerebral palsy symptom because of the cerebellum’s role in facilitating articulation.

Scheduled visits with a healthcare specialist can give more insight into the details of a child’s ataxic cerebral palsy diagnosis.

About Ataxic Cerebral Palsy

What is Mixed Cerebral Palsy?

When babies suffer from damage to multiple parts of the brain, they may have a form of mixed cerebral palsy. Children living with mixed cerebral palsy generally experience a wide range of physical and neurological symptoms.

Mixed cerebral palsy can encompass all symptoms from the different subtypes, including:

• Paralysis (monoplegia, diplegia, hemiplegia, or quadriplegia)
• Spasticity
• Rigidity (muscle stiffness)
• Hypertonia (increased muscle tone) or hypotonia (decreased muscle tone)
• Delayed reflexes
• Tremors (uncontrollable shaking)
• Abnormal walking patterns
• Speech and swallowing disorders
• Seizures and epilepsy
• Vision impairments
• Delayed developmental milestones

Children with mixed cerebral palsy are likely to experience more severe symptoms than other subgroups. They may require a heavier dependence on assistive devices and equipment like wheelchairs and communication devices.

They may also qualify for the newest treatments for cerebral palsy like stem cell therapy and Botox injections.

About Mixed Cerebral Palsy

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Did Medical Mistakes Cause My Child’s Cerebral Palsy?

A cerebral palsy diagnosis can mean a multitude of different things depending on the type and severity. Parents deserve to know when preventable medical mistakes amplify the symptoms and complications of their child’s conditions.

Missing pregnancy complications, improperly monitoring fetal heart rates, or delaying C-sections can all lead to a baby’s preventable brain injury. If a family believes medical negligence worsened a child’s brain damage at birth, legal support may be an option. A cerebral palsy attorney can review the medical records and circumstances to assess whether a claim exists.

Families who have experienced the effects of brain injuries from negligent medical care deserve to know whether they were avoidable. Our cerebral palsy attorneys specialize in birth injury medical malpractice, helping families seek compensation when negligence causes lifelong conditions.

Our team will thoroughly investigate the facts, holding responsible parties accountable by pursuing medical malpractice claims.

What is the Statute of Limitations in a Birth Injury Case?

A statute of limitations (SOL) is a law that sets a time limit on how long an injured person has to file a lawsuit after an accident. It is essential to understand that statutes of limitations vary based on the case and the state where you file. For instance, the deadline for birth injury claims is typically different from other claims, such as injury to private property.

Generally, the clock starts ticking on the date the injury occurred. However, there are exceptions to this rule. In some cases, the statute of limitations starts when a person discovers or reasonably should have discovered an injury. When dealing with government agencies, SOLs can become even more complex.

For example, if the party that injured you was:

• A federal employee
• Employed by a military hospital, Veterans Administration facility, or a federally funded medical entity

You may need to file a birth injury claim under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA). In FTCA cases, claimants must go through certain administrative procedures before filing a lawsuit. In some states, you may have less time to give notice if:

• The negligent party was a local or state government hospital
• The doctors and medical providers are employees of a governmental entity

If you file your case outside of the statute of limitations, the court will typically dismiss it. This means you will not be eligible to recover compensation for you or your child’s injuries.

Determining when a statute of limitations begins on your case can be tricky. Our cerebral palsy attorneys specialize in birth injury medical malpractice and can tell you important cutoff dates in your state.

How Can Our Cerebral Palsy Attorneys Help?

A detailed expert review of the facts and circumstances of your pregnancy and your child's birth can reveal many things. Namely, it can determine whether a child’s cerebral palsy diagnosis was the result of medical malpractice.

Our Process

Our team of cerebral palsy attorneys specializes in birth injury medical malpractice and can help assess your potential cerebral palsy case. We use our detailed medical negligence case review process to take in your information and begin learning more.

We start by gathering information about your pregnancy by examining records to determine what happened during and after your delivery. This includes evaluating the fetal heart rate strips during labor and any action medical professionals took in the NICU.

We will call in skilled medical experts who review your records and provide insight into where medical professionals went wrong. If we feel medical negligence caused or worsened your baby’s cerebral palsy symptoms, we meet with you to discuss further.

At no point in our legal intake process will we ask you to pay anything. The medical review of your case and the consultation are free. We only receive payment once you do. The sooner you reach out, the sooner we can investigate your case and gather the evidence to support your claim.

We work on a contingency fee basis, meaning you will not pay any legal fees until we win your case. We do not purse any medical malpractice cases unless we fully believe we can win.

Contact us today to schedule your free consultation by calling our toll-free line at (888) 987-0005. You can also reach us by filling out our online request form.