What is Ataxic Cerebral Palsy?

As you all know, cerebral palsy is a condition that affects body movement and muscle coordination. With no particular cause, there are several possible factors that can lead to cerebral palsy.

Cerebral palsy is caused by brain damage occurring during pregnancy, during delivery or shortly thereafter. With several different types of cerebral palsy, all classified by the way that they affect the individual, ataxic cerebral palsy is the least common type. Some figures place the number of individuals with ataxic cerebral palsy at around 10 percent of all those with CP.

Ataxic cerebral palsy is caused by damage to the cerebellum, which is in the very base of the brain. The cerebellum is the center for coordination of various muscle groups. Ataxic cerebral palsy affects coordination of movement.

Another characteristic of ataxic cerebral palsy is poor or very low muscle tone, also known as hypotonic.

There are various ways that cerebral palsy can affect an individual. A person with ataxic cerebral palsy usually has a wide-based gait. Because of their poor sense of balance, they usually walk with their feet very far apart. A person who has ataxic cerebral palsy will be quite unsteady and shaky. This is a result of low muscle tone whereby the body is constantly trying to balance itself.

Ataxic cerebral palsy can be very difficult for an individual to deal with. By testing various methods of treatment, the most effective method may give some independence to an individual who is affected with ataxic cerebral palsy.