Every child develops at a different rate, and most fall well within the standards that medical professionals set for when certain milestones should be met, such as sitting up, crawling or walking.  But if your baby doesn’t seem to be meeting these milestones, and you are beginning to notice troubling problems with motor skills you may have to consider that your child might be suffering from cerebral palsy, a disorder often caused by a brain injury during birth.

So, what signs should you look for?  Some of the more common symptoms of cerebral palsy include:

• Struggling with gross motor skills such as walking, kicking a ball, riding a bike and other movements that involve use of the legs and arms.
• Trouble sitting upright.  Lacks the muscle strength and tone to sit up without falling over.
• Difficulty with fine motor skills.  Examples of these include using crayons, buttoning a shirt, handling scissors and any other activities that focus on the use of the fingers and hands.
• Trouble moving from one position to another, such as from sitting to crawling or standing.
• Shaking or uncontrollable jerking of the legs, arms, or torso.
• Weak muscles.
• Body tremors, weakened facial muscles, drooling or loss of control of the tongue.
• Difficulty sucking.

If you notice your child exhibiting any of these cerebral palsy symptoms, or a combination of several, you should speak with a doctor who is experienced in diagnosing cerebral palsy.  He or she can perform a series of tests to determine if your child has the disorder.
Should your child be diagnosed with cerebral palsy, there are many treatment options available that might help your child to improve his day to day functions.  And although there is no cure for cerebral palsy, the earlier the treatment, the better the chance of your child will be able to overcome some of the symptoms he or she suffers from.
Lastly, it is important to note that cerebral palsy can be caused by a number of different things; however it is when it happens as a result of a doctor’s negligence that it becomes especially disconcerting, because in those cases, the disorder could have been prevented.

If your child has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy, you are not alone.  Experienced medical attorneys are available to discuss your claim and work with you to get justice for your child.

This entry was posted on Friday, March 27th, 2009 at 12:42 pm and is filed under Medical Malpractice. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.