CEREBRAL PALSY ??????????????????

[alishasmum]

my daughter is 9 she has had epilepsy since 6 months old although under control, she has learning difficulties and recently we had a occupational therepy assessment done on her  the results are .
poor co contraction
low muscle tone
gross and fine movemnet challenging
lacking tonic control
retained ATNR
visual perceptional difficulties
co ordination difficulties
considerable motor challenges
reflex retention
low energy/poor stamina
auditory processing disorder

recently we visited the GP  and he stated because of her learning difficulties there is a possiblility she has lack of oxygen to the brain when she was 6 months old she took 13 fits in 1 night but also when i was having my daughter  her i was induced as my contractions stopped and i was told my baby was in distress so the lack of oxygen could be a factor can anyone help with the diagnosis of cerebral palsy i really am thinking it is

[alishasmum]

thanks for your answer my daughter was delivered normally at 6lb she was jaundiced at birth but no action was taken . my daughter fitted at 6 months old then later took other fits it was then a diagnosis of epilepsy was made we have a consultant who is trying to diagose my daughter as she has a learning disability it was said by the educational psychologist she thought my daughter had a brain injury she spoke to a dr who told her it was likely to be lack of oxygen to the brain  that has caused the learning difficulties. i have a appointment on monday with the consultant my daughter also  shakes at nightime in rythmic movement feet legs arms hands this has been ruled out as epilepsy as she was doing these rythmic movements under a eeg . her hands tend to shake a lot

[Christopher R Newey, DO]

Thanks for using the forum. I am happy to address your questions, and my answer will be based on the information you provided here. Please make sure you recognize that this forum is for educational purposes only, and it does not substitute for a formal office visit with a doctor.

Without the ability to examine and obtain a history of your child, I can not tell you what the exact cause of the symptoms is. However I will try to provide you with some useful information.

The term cerebral palsy is difficult in that it is not descriptive for any one type of condition. There are different types of cerebral palsy syndromes. These include spastic, dyskinetic, and ataxic. They may not present until later in life.

I am not sure what you mean by “reflex retention”. Cerebral palsy will result in increased reflexes.

Was there an injury around the time of your child’s birth? You mention that your contractions stopped, but how were your baby’s decelarations during the delivery and post-delivery oxygenation? Did your child need neonatal ICU care? Was your child normally developing until the “13 fits”?

This diagnosis of CP would be difficult to make in writing. I highly recommend that you follow up with a pediatric neurologist and have your child assessed. There are many causes during childhood that can explain your child’s symtoms. These can be metabolic, congenital, hereditary, hypoxia (i.e., low oxygenation), etc. You should also have a pediatric neurologist follow your child for the seizures. Did the seizures begin suddenly at 6months of age? Does your physician know the cause of the seizures? There are many questions that need to be addressed. Again, I recommend that you follow up with a pediatric neurologist.

Thank you for this opportunity to answer your questions, I hope you find the information I have provided useful, good luck.