Cerebral Palsy Vs Congenital Encephalopathy

Iwas diagnosed with "CP" in 1968.  I was diagnosed with "Congenital Encephalopathy,(cause unknown) with spastic paraplegia" in 1972.  I want to find out if these are the same thing by definition, are either of them automatically considered to be disabiling? Is either considered to be degenerative?

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

Dear Jo Lane,

This is not within my area of specialty, but I can offer you some general information.

The two conditions are not the same. Cerebral Palsy refers to disorders of body movement and posture that develop due to problems with normal brain development. The disruption in brain development can occur during the growth of the fetus, at the time of birth or during the first two or three years of life. The physical disabilities that result from CP can have a wide range of severity, from mild to severe. There is no cure for CP, but it does not get worse over time. Whether or not it can be regarded as disabling depends on the level of severity and the degree of functional impairment.

Congenital encephalopathy is a general term referring to brain damage from birth. In your case, such brain damage is manifested by spastic paraplegia. Spastic Paraplegia refers to a group of inherited neurological disorders typified by progressive weakness (paraplegia) and increased muscle tone and stiffness (spasticity) of leg muscles. This is a progressive condition and, while walking can become increasingly difficult over time, absolute loss of the ability to walk is pretty unusual.