Cerebral Palsy (CP) is a condition that affects muscle control and movement. It affects about 1 in every 400 children in the UK.
It is usually caused by an injury to the brain before, during or after birth, but there may be no obvious single reason.
There are 4 main types of cerebral palsy:
- spastic cerebral palsy – when the muscles are stiff and tight (especially when attempting to move quickly), making it difficult to move and reducing the range of possible movement.
- dyskinetic cerebral palsy – the muscles switch between stiffness and floppiness, causing random, uncontrolled body movements or spasms.
- ataxic cerebral palsy – when a person has balance and co-ordination problems, resulting in shaky or clumsy movements and sometimes tremors.
- mixed cerebral palsy – when a person has symptoms of more than one type of cerebral palsy.
There are also different names which describe what parts of the body are affected:
- hemiplegia – when 1 side of the body is affected,
- diplegia – where 2 limbs are affected,
- monoplegia – where 1 limb is affected,
- quadriplegia – where all 4 limbs (and usually the whole body) are affected.
Symptoms
The main symptoms of CP involve problems surrounding movement, co-ordination, and development.
Possible signs of CP can include:
- delays in reaching development milestones.
- being too stiff or too floppy
- fidgety, jerky, or clumsy movements
- muscle spasms
- walking on tiptoes
Symptoms will vary depending on the severity and type of cerebral palsy.
Education Strategies
- Children and young people with CP are all different and will need personalised/catered care and/or equipment to support their specific levels of need.
- Consider accessibility of the school site: is there step free access? Can the child or young person move independently around the site?
- Is the toilet appropriate for the child or young person to use to maintain their health and dignity? Read the Changing Places guide, using the following link to create a suitable environment Changing Places Toilets (changing-places.org)
- Do they need an Intimate Care Plan? Use our templates to create a policy and strategy for your setting using the following link: Intimate care – Support for schools and settings (devon.gov.uk)
- Do they struggle with fatigue management? It is important to teach the child/young person ways to conserve energy and pace themselves throughout the school day. It may also be necessary to provide a modified timetable and/or allow for rest breaks. The following link provides strategies to support fatigue: Managing fatigue – Support for schools and settings (devon.gov.uk)
- Are there reasonable adjustments for the child/young person? For example, physiotherapy programmes may need to be scheduled into their school timetable. Or they may have medical appointments/surgeries that take place during school hours.
Help for schools with pupils with CP
Cerebral Palsy Factsheet (for Schools) (for Parents) | Nemours Kids Health