If your child has cerebral palsy, you know they’re going to face a lot of challenges. This is a disorder that is linked to the brain, and it’s often caused by a lack of oxygen. This can happen while a child is being born if there are complications during the procedure.
But it doesn’t just affect the brain alone. It can affect cognitive abilities, physical abilities, and many other parts of a person’s life. As with other brain injuries, the symptoms can be different from one individual to the next. The common symptoms include things like mobility issues, trouble speaking, muscle stiffness, and even intellectual disabilities.
WHY A DIAGNOSIS MAY BE DELAYED
Even if the child’s injuries happened due to mistakes made during the birth, it may appear that there’s no problem immediately. The signs only show up over time, which can delay the diagnosis.
One of the keys to determining if a child has cerebral palsy is to look at the normal milestones that they’re supposed to hit. How old are they when they learn how to eat solid foods? How old are they when they learn how to crawl? What about when they learn how to walk? When do they learn to talk? These are all milestones that parents are expecting to see.
However, a child with cerebral palsy may already lack some of these skills as an infant, but it just won’t be apparent because they wouldn’t have developed them naturally yet anyway. As such, it is often diagnosed as children grow older.
If it does turn out that your child has cerebral palsy or a similar condition, make sure you know about all the legal options at your disposal.
