Athetoid Cerebral Palsy

Athetoid cerebral palsy makes up 10 to 20 percent of CP cases. It is also called dyskinetic cerebral palsy.
The cerebral palsy lawyers at Elk & Elk want their clients to be informed about the types of cases they handle and about which medical conditions apply. With that in mind, we provide information and resources for our clients’ education.
Although we do have more than 45 years’ experience representing cerebral palsy victims, we are not medical doctors and do not intend this information to be used as medical advice. These Web resources, educational links and articles are for informational purposes only. You should seek a medical opinion from a trained, certified healthcare professional for any diagnoses.

The symptoms of athetoid cerebral palsy include slow, uncontrolled, writhing movements of the hands, feet, arms, or legs (athetosis). Patients also may have abrupt, irregular, jerky movements (chorea), a combination (choreoathetosis), or slow rhythmic movements with muscle tone abnormalities and abnormal postures ( dystonia ).

Patients’ face and tongue muscles may be affected, which may cause grimacing and/or drooling. Patients experience dysarthria (abnormal pronunciation of speech) when the muscles controlling speech are affected. Hearing loss is often associated with this form of CP.

Cerebral palsy results from damage sustained by different parts of a developing brain. It can occur before, during and after birth.

If you or someone you know has given birth to a baby diagnosed with cerebral palsy and the evidence points to substandard perinatal care, you may have a right to compensation to help you and your family deal with the lifelong costs and challenges associated with caring for someone with CP.

Give Elk & Elk’s medical malpractice team a call at 1-800-ELK-OHIO for a free, no-obligation case consultation, or click here to fill out our online case analysis form. It’s fast. It’s free. There’s no pressure and, if you do have a case, you will owe us nothing unless we have a successful outcome for you.

Athetoid Cerebral Palsy Facts

The main sign that your child might have cerebral palsy is a delay reaching the motor or movement milestones. If you see any of these signs, call your child's doctor or nurse.

A child over 2 months with cerebral palsy might:

• Have difficulty controlling head when picked up
• Have stiff legs that cross or "scissor" when picked up

A child over 6 months with cerebral palsy might:

• Continue to have a hard time controlling head when picked up
• Reach with only one hand while keeping the other in a fist

A child over 10 months with cerebral palsy might:

• Crawl by pushing off with one hand and leg while dragging the opposite hand and leg
• Not sit by himself or herself

A child over 12 months with cerebral palsy might:

• Not crawl
• Not be able to stand with support

A child over 24 months with cerebral palsy might:

• Not be able to walk
• Not be able to push a toy with wheels

(Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention)

Cerebral palsy is caused by a brain injury or problem that occurs during pregnancy, birth, or within the first 2 to 3 years of a child’s life. Cerebral palsy can be caused by:

• Problems from being born too early (premature birth).
• Not getting enough blood, oxygen, or other nutrients before or during birth.
• A serious head injury.
• A serious infection that can affect the brain, such as meningitis .
• Some problems passed from parent to child ( genetic conditions ) that affect brain development.

In many cases, the exact cause of cerebral palsy is not known.
(Source: WebMD)