What is Cerebral Palsy? Expanding knowledge of my own disability.

Cerebral Palsy. This medical term for this disability sounds a little confusing if you’ve never heard of it, right? After posing the question on my Threads account, I quickly realized that many people are not aware of what Cerebral Palsy is or how to recognize it in someone they see or know. (The latter part is a bit difficult, but I’ll address why in a bit.)

What is Cerebral Palsy? A Definition

Cerebral Palsy was defined by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), in a July 23, 2025 article as “a group of disorders that affect a person’s ability to move and maintain balance and posture.” There are many types of CP. They all affect the body differently.

How many types of Cerebral Palsy are there, and what are they?

According to the Cerebral Palsy Guide website, there are five major types of cerebral palsy. They are: spastic, athetoid (dyskinetic), ataxic, hypotonic, and mixed-type. I am one of the 15.4% of cases of mixed-type CP. My formal diagnosis is mild spastic ataxic diplegic cerebral palsy. Cerebral palsy type is determined by how a person’s muscles move and how their brain is affected

What causes Cerebral Palsy?

Many factors lead to Cerebral palsy (CP). One of the most common is damage to the developing brain before, during, or shortly after childbirth. This can occur naturally for many reasons. It may also be due to a doctor’s negligence. In my specific case, I was born at 30 weeks, and there was a lack of oxygen to my brain. There was no negligence in my case, but parents who believe their doctors were negligent have several options to pursue a case. How can you tell if someone has Cerebral Palsy? What are the signs?

A medical doctor must examine a patient to determine a Cerebral Palsy diagnosis. In most cases, a person with no medical training will not be able to recognize Cerebral Palsy. Signs vary from type to type. In some cases, the signs are so mild that the symptoms go unnoticed. I was two when I got my formal diagnosis. I only learned what type of CP I have after seeing it in my medical records.

What are some of the effects of Cerebral Palsy?

According to the Cerebral Palsy Alliance Research Foundation website, 1 in 3 people with cerebral palsy will be unable to walk.

Many people with Cerebral Palsy have speech or dexterity issues that can be corrected through therapy. Walkers can help children who need assistance. In less severe cases, people can walk without them. More severe cases (or cases like mine, with a secondary injury) may require wheelchairs.

I’ll end here for today, but before I go: What more would you like to know about Cerebral Palsy and how it affects my day-to-day life? Please let me know, and I may address your questions in a future blog post.