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Raising a child with Cerebral Palsy Cerebral Palsy is a medical condition caused by a permanent brain injury that occurs before, during, or shortly after birth. About 1 in every 500 babies are affected. The effect of Cerebral Palsy, or CP, is characterized by lack of muscle control and body movement. While it is not a progressive disease of the brain, the effects of CP may change gradually over the years. CP can occur due to a variety of causes including an illness, prematurity, or difficult delivery. Many of the causes still remain a mystery. CP affects children's muscle tone in a variety of ways. Cerebral palsy can range from mild to severe depending on the location and size of the injury. It does not necessarily mean that all limbs will be impacted. Cerebral palsy cannot be cured but medicines and sometimes surgery may be recommended to treat specific problems such as muscle spasms. Another finding in the study was that twins who survived a fetal death of their co-twin were 108 times more likely to have CP than single children and 13 times more likely than twins whose co-twin survived. Three out of four of theses children were from identical twin sets and were normal or nearly normal in birth weight.
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