The sad truth about cerebral palsy in children symptoms is that these are hardly noticeable during infancy, but they become more accentuated as the nervous system of the child matures. All parents ought to know what signs to keep an eye out for.
Abnormal muscle tone
This symptom means that the muscles are more stiff than normal or they are too relaxed. It is possible that the child holds the limbs in an unusual position. As an example, the spastic leg muscles can make the legs stay in a scissor-like position.
Skeletal deformities
The signs of cerebral palsy in children also include possible skeletal deformities. The children who are struggling with this problem on one side may have shorter limbs on the given side. There is need for surgery to correct the problem, or the pelvis could become tilted as well.
Joint contractures
When it comes to the cerebral palsy in children symptoms, we also have to think about joint contractures. This means that the joints become very stiff because of the unequal pressure on them. This is caused by the fact that the muscles don’t work as they are supposed to.
Mental retardation
This may be one of the most serious cerebral palsy in children signs. While some children may be affected by mental retardation, not all children get affected. The more serious the mental problems are, the more severe the overall health problems turn out to be.
Seizures
This is considered to be the scariest one of the cerebral palsy in children symptoms. About 33% of the affected children have seizures. These appear after the condition damages the brain. Sometimes the parents don’t notice the seizures because of the abnormal movements of the child.
Swallowing problems
Swallowing may become difficult to children as one of the children’s symptoms of cerebral palsy. This is because it requires the coordination of several muscles and this is something that the affected children are unable to do. Also they can’t eat, drink, suck or control their saliva. This can result in drooling and the fluids can get to the windpipe instead of the esophagus.
Although parents may recognize the cerebral palsy in children symptoms, there is nothing that they could do but to make sure that the child is as comfortable as he or she can possibly be in the given conditions.
