Cerebral Palsy: Historical and Modern Perspectives

NB: We do not resell your papers. Upon ordering, we do an original paper exclusively for you.

NB: All your data is kept safe from the public.

Table of Contents

Historical Perspective
Modern Perspective
Etiology
References

Historical Perspective

The term cerebral palsy has been used for centuries to describe children with a motor disability and related issues. Cerebral palsy was first discovered by John Little, he was motivated by his childhood experience that was full of illness. Little dedicated a lifelong project to help the children experiencing a similar problem. The project began in the 1830s when He started giving lectures on how injuries during birth have a lifelong impact on a child’s life. He tried to relate the connection between brain damage due to loss of oxygen and cerebral palsy (“Cerebral Palsy Pioneers”, 2022). Little made a significant discovery that made him publish the book “On the Nature and Treatment of the Deformities of the Human Frame.” This book explained the definition of cerebral palsy; which he stated that it is a condition that results when a child has a nervous system that is injured, leading to spasticity. This was the onset of studies into cerebral palsy, and at this time, the defect was identified as “Little’s Disease.”

In 1887, Sir William Osler extended the research on the disease, and he identified various therapies that could help the children with the disorder survive well. This was when the term cerebral palsy was used to describe this condition. Despite the disease having much attention from the public and other medical researchers, the information regarding this condition was minimal. Sigmund Freud and a renowned psychiatrist were the first people to connect as it used to be thought that the defect is only associated with a difficult childbirth (Miller, 2017). Sigmund Freud proposed that cerebral palsy can also be caused by abnormality before the child is born. He mentioned that childbirth is a symptom of the event that occurred earlier, resulting in the difficult childbirth experience. However, during this time, Freud’s explanation was viewed as void. Freud continued to disagree with Little’s explanation based on the theory that there are children who experience oxygen loss at childbirth but are not affected by the condition.

On the other hand, Little maintained his theory of asphyxia being the main cause of cerebral palsy. During that time, most of the physicians for over 20 years of research on the condition together with orthopedic practice, Little discovered that the effect of asphyxia on the condition was minimal than when he thought it was. The result was generated from the analysis of over 200 documented cerebral palsy cases (Miller, 2017). During this period, Little did not use any statistical method to analyze the condition. He only used the descriptive method, which provided the general opinion on the condition, which made it difficult to identify the frequency of the motor deficit during the 19th century.

Freud continued with his research on the condition, and he used the connection between the infertile motor deficit of the brain and birth asphyxia to explain the condition. Freud could not find other alternatives that could help order condition, and he began studying the condition of motor deficit of children separately from cerebral epilepsy (Miller, 2017). Freud first studied cerebral hemiplegia, followed by the other motor deficits. He later unified the condition of cerebral epilepsy into a group called cerebral diplegias, which had four major types. These include general chorea and bilateral athetosis, paraplegic stiffness, general cerebral stiffness, and bilateral hemiplegia. The term cerebral palsy gained popularity because of the condition. Little’s idea of connecting asphyxia and other complications at birth made the condition generalized to all types of cerebral palsy.

The research on cerebral palsy continued extensively, with most physicians wanting to know the exact cause of the condition. The couples Lenard and Isabelle Goldenson made a significant discovery on cerebral palsy after their first daughter was born with the defect. They put effort into the condition that will enable them to understand better and promote awareness. They set up a United Cerebral palsy association in 1950 after their daughter succumbed to death because of the condition (Miller, 2017). From mid 20th century, cerebral palsy has been investigated and studied, with few cases resulting from asphyxia during birth. During this period, the condition involved other brain motor deficits that are non-progressive. Despite extensive study on the condition, asphyxia at birth could not be rolled out as one of the conditions since infants had the condition because of the problem.

Modern Perspective

The effort to understand the condition of cerebral palsy continued extensively worldwide. The American Academy for Cerebral palsy and Little club continued the research on the condition together with the identification of various defect classifications. In the 21st century, several developments regarding the condition have been identified. With the modern era of cerebral epilepsy, Bax defined the condition as a disorder that affects movement and posture because of the defect in the immature brain (Miller et al., 2020). The surveillance of cerebral palsy in Europe has also expanded on the condition by grouping it broadly into ataxic, dyskinetic, and spastic. The spastic is further categorized into unilateral and bilateral, and they discouraged using old terms such as quadriplegia and diplegia.

The current study on cerebral epilepsy uses imaging techniques that are helpful in the characterization of the part and nature of the brain which results in the defect. It can now be linked with the timing of the intrauterine development phases, which results in a specific impairment. This has made it possible to identify that many individuals have impaired brain structure before the delivery (Miller et al., 2020). The new timing area is significant in helping solve the problem of blaming the medical personnel for the failures. The recent developments are also significant in helping the neurobiologist identify possible solutions that will prevent the problem of brain development, thereby reducing the chances of cerebral epilepsy.

Modern study perspective on cerebral epilepsy shows that the condition does not affect only an individual but the whole family. It has a critical impact on the children and the family making it necessary to have a family-centered service that focuses on the wellbeing of the families. The main reason for focusing on this issue is that parents become affected physically and mentally (Berger, 2020). Parental service delivery usually becomes compromised, thus creating organized service for families with children with cerebral epilepsy (Miller et al., 2020). The perception of the quality of life of people with cerebral epilepsy has also changed in the modern perspective. There were many assumptions, such as the life of these people being completely diminished. Despite people with this defect having problems accomplishing many tasks, there are broad goals such as management strategies, treatments, interventions, and therapies that help them fight the condition.

Etiology

Diagnosis

Cerebral epilepsy is diagnosed in early childhood to ensure that the child’s wellbeing is not compromised fully. Diagnosis involves developmental monitoring, screening, and medical evaluations. Developmental monitoring involves observing the child’s growth and developmental patterns. The healthcare providers check on the child’s history and observe the child’s movement during an examination (“Screening and Diagnosis of Cerebral Palsy”, 2022). The parent of the child may also be required to provide information or concerns regarding the child’s growth. This enables the doctors to identify the condition early, especially when the child was born with low birth weight or other birth complications.

Developmental screening involves taking of short test on the child, especially when it has certain growth delays such as movement problems. This method may use questionnaires or interviews completed by the parent and other tests to enable the physician to identify the problem. The screening takes place when a child is nine months, 18months, and 24 or 30 months (“Screening and Diagnosis of Cerebral Palsy”, 2022). At nine months, issues such as movement are easily noted, and if not identified, screening at 18 months will help. This continues until 30 months, leading to the identification of movement delays. Developmental screening is usually used when the doctor has concerns about the child’s development.

Developmental and medical evaluations are used to diagnose a particular disorder affecting the child. This is done when the child has motor delays, and the doctor assesses the child’s posture, motor skills, medical history, reflexes, and muscle tone (“Screening and Diagnosis of Cerebral Palsy”, 2022). The physician usually try to roll out other cause of motor delays. Other tests that can be performed include magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), metabolic testing, computed tomography (CT scan), and electroencephalogram (EEG).

Statistical Information

Beginning with gender distribution, boys have a higher number of cerebral palsy than girls. It is noted that approximately 10,000 babies born has cerebral palsy, and between 1200 and 1500 school children are also diagnosed with the defects (“Data and Statistics for Cerebral Palsy”, 2022). Despite the disease being prominent, more than 50% of the children having this defects walk independently (“Data and Statistics for Cerebral Palsy”, 2022). Approximately 41% of the children with this defect have problems running, crawling, and walking in the United States, these defect is the most prevalent motor disability. In the United States, these defect is the most prevalent motor disability

References

Berger, R. (2020). Introducing Disability Studies. Lynne Rienner Publishers.

Cerebral Palsy Pioneers. cerebralpalsy.org. (2022). Web.

Data and Statistics for Cerebral Palsy | CDC. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022). Web.

Miller, F. (2017). Natural History and Surveillance of Hip Dysplasia in Cerebral Palsy.Cerebral Palsy, 1-13. Web.

Miller, F., Bachrach, S., Lennon, N., & O’Neil, M. (2020). Cerebral palsy. Springer.

Screening and Diagnosis of Cerebral Palsy | CDC. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022). Web.

Click Here To Order Now!