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Cerebral Palsy - Hōkai Nukurangi The Early Years Kete | 5 TOOLKIT Key points: • People with cerebral palsy (CP) can live happy and fulfilling lives. • Your child with CP is unique. • You can get support and information from other whānau with children with CP, organisations and health professionals. • It can be very difficult waiting to find out how CP will impact your child’s movement. What is CP? • CP is a lifelong condition and refers to a group of permanent conditions caused by a disturbance or insult to the brain during development. • The way CP impacts your child’s movement, and posture (how they sit and stand) is different and can depend on when the brain disturbance occurred, and which parts of the brain are affected. What is CP? Cerebral Palsy - Hōkai Nukurangi: “Don’t place a ceiling to what the child might achieve - every child is unique.” - FAMILY QUOTE • People living with CP can have difficulty with general movements, such as rolling and harder activities such as walking or using their hands in everyday tasks. • People living with CP may have other medical conditions, including epilepsy, and/or difficulties with seeing, learning, or talking. What is the cause of CP? • The disturbance or insult to the development of the infant brain mainly occurs during pregnancy, birth or very soon after birth (for approximately 9 out of 10 people with CP). • The term CP also includes when the brain insult occurs later, after one month of age, up to two years of age (for approximately 1 out of 10 of people with CP). • There is no one cause of all CP. There are many possible causes, risk factors and/or events that can lead to CP.