CEREBRAL PALSY Was first described by William Little in 1862. Then it was known as Little disease. The term Cerebral palsy originated with Freud. The brain controls all that we do. Different parts of the brain control the movement of every muscle of the body. In cerebral palsy, there is damage to, or lack of development in, one of these areas of the brain. 'Cerebral'– refers to the brain.

'Palsy'– can mean weakness or paralysis or lack of muscle control.

Therefore cerebral palsy is a disorder of muscle control which results from some damage to part of the brain. The term cerebral palsy is used when the problem has occurred early in life, to the developing brain.Children with cerebral palsy can have problems such as muscle weakness, stiffness, awkwardness, slowness, shakiness, and difficulty with balance. These problems can range from mild to severe. In mild cerebral palsy, the child may be slightly clumsy in one arm or leg, and the problem may be barely noticeable. In severe cerebral palsy, the child may have a lot of difficulties in performing everyday tasks and movements.

While Cerebral Palsy (pronounced seh-ree-brel pawl-zee) is a blanket term commonly referred to as “CP” and described by loss or impairment of motor function, Cerebral Palsy is actually caused by brain damage. The brain damage is caused by brain injury or abnormal development of the brain that occurs while a child’s brain is still developing — before birth, during birth, or immediately after birth.