Types of Cerebral Palsy | Attorneys, Lawyers & Legal Resources

Types of Cerebral Palsy

Since cerebral palsy can range from mild to severe, patients' motor skills and muscle tone differs based on this scale. To distinguish between the various levels of severity, cerebral palsy is broken down into four categories:

Spastic cerebral palsy

The term spastic is a label used when muscles are very taut. Children with spastic cerebral palsy do not exhibit the fluid movements that normal children do. Instead, their actions are jerky because the muscles are so stiff. It can be rather difficult for someone with spastic cerebral palsy to shift from one position to the next or let go of an object in their hand. With about 50 percent of all cerebral palsy cases diagnosed as spastic, this is the most common type.

Ataxic cerebral palsy

Ataxic cerebral palsy can be described as minimal muscle tone and poor motor function. Ataxic patients are very unstable, and they shake uncontrollably while attempting to complete routine activities such as writing or turning a page. Since their balance is so poor, it is quite burdensome for someone with ataxic cerebral palsy to walk, and all other tasks typically take much longer to complete than for someone without any debilitative disorder.

Athetoid cerebral palsy

When someone with cerebral palsy has a mixture of tight and flaccid muscle tone, it is called athetoid. Children with athetoid cerebral palsy struggle to hold themselves up straight in a position to sit or walk. They also make a lot of drastic, involuntary movements of the face, arms, and upper torso. Some children suffering from this form of cerebral palsy may have trouble hitting a specific target with their hand. For example, if they try to scratch their nose, they may end up scratching their cheek instead. Similarly, it may be cumbersome for an athetoid patient to grasp an item like a toothbrush, fork, or pencil that requires a firm grip. About a quarter of all people diagnosed with cerebral palsy have the athetoid version.

Mixed cerebral palsy

When the tone of some muscles is low and high in others, this is defined as mixed cerebral palsy. Approximately a quarter of all cerebral palsy patients have fallen victim to mixed cerebral palsy.