Cerebral palsy is one of the possible results of a baby brain injury near Washington, D.C. Cerebral palsy is a group of disorders that are characterized by impaired movement and coordination. This condition is permanent and it can involve a wide range of symptoms. While some children diagnosed with cerebral palsy have only mild symptoms and require little extra care, other children with the condition are significantly disabled and require intensive care for their lifetime. If you suspect your child’s cerebral palsy diagnosis stemmed from a birth injury, you can contact medical malpractice lawyers for legal guidance.
Types
The most common type of this disorder is spastic cerebral palsy. Children with this form of the disorder experience difficulties with moving and their muscles appear stiff. These children may experience challenges with basic motions such as shifting position, standing, walking, gripping objects, and releasing objects. Children with athetoid cerebral palsy display impairments such as difficult swallowing, low muscle tone, slurred speech, and involuntary movements. They also tend to be unable to maintain posture. Ataxic cerebral palsy typically leads to symptoms such as impaired balance, impaired coordination, depth perception problems, and tremors.
Causes
Cerebral palsy is caused by abnormalities in the child’s brain development. This typically occurs before birth; however, it may sometimes occur early in childhood. There are many possible underlying causes for this disruption in brain development, including some factors that can be attributed to medical malpractice. Often, cerebral palsy as a result of medical malpractice involves oxygen deprivation to the baby’s brain during labor and delivery. There are certain warning signs that physicians must watch out for that can indicate fetal distress. If signs of fetal distress are observed, the typical response is to recommend that the mother undergo an emergency cesarean section to prevent trauma to the baby. When filing a medical malpractice lawsuit, an attorney might allege that a physician was negligent in responding to a poor fetal heart rate or prolapsed umbilical cord, or that he or she was negligent in failing to properly assess the child’s size. Another possible factor in the development of cerebral palsy is the failure of the healthcare provider to properly diagnose and treat medical conditions of the mother during pregnancy, such as infections.
