I have a new stepdaughter that has CP and I dont know a lot about it. Her dad says it is a mild case, but I read things on here with people who function 200% more than she does. She can walk and talk and sometimes dress herself, cant write and bites herself and hits when she is angry. She has some mild seizures and walks with her back side stuck out and limps (doesnt have 100% function on one side). She is very moody also and seems to have seperation anxiety when she is away from one of her parents. I dont know what question I am getting to here, except does anyone have any advise... I dont know how to handle these issues ..especially the hitting and biting (she did nerve damage when she bit me once).

Hello,

The "walks with her backside stuck out and limps" sounds like contractures due to the CP, which basically means that the muscles are tight from the spasticity (contracting all the time). That may be why she can't write as well, if she has spasticity in her hand(s). Terms like "mild" are sort of too vague when talking about CP, but I'm guessing her's is called that just because she can walk.

As for the biting and seperation anxiety, IMO those probably don't have anything to do with the CP, unless she has mental/learning problems as well.

Cerebral Palsy is a movement disorder, caused by brain damage. So, yeah, your stepdaughter's doctors would say she has mild hemiplegic CP, because she can walk, talk and some times, dress herself and it seems to affect her one side most.

As for the aggressive behavior/anxiety, it not part of the having CP because it doesn't pertain to movement. However, it could be caused by brain damage (like her seizures,) or some other mental/psychological issue.

How old is your stepdaughter? I'm curious, is she receiving any intervention, through the school or some outside program? Anything?

Hello,

The "walks with her backside stuck out and limps" sounds like contractures due to the CP, which basically means that the muscles are tight from the spasticity (contracting all the time). That may be why she can't write as well, if she has spasticity in her hand(s). Terms like "mild" are sort of too vague when talking about CP, but I'm guessing her's is called that just because she can walk.

As for the biting and seperation anxiety, IMO those probably don't have anything to do with the CP, unless she has mental/learning problems as well.


I agree with this response. I have been termed as having mild CP and now as a 35 yr old woman, I know that I am high functioning. I walk (unaided until last year) and I drive a car. My speech is unaffected and my children are healthy. I am working in the social work field and have had some experience with mental disorders and such. I don't think that biting and agression and moodswings are a direct derivative from having CP. It is possible she feels frustrated being trapped in a body that doesn't move as fluidly as she imagines/wants it to and this is the only way she can get her frustrations out.

Kudos to you for joining this board to educate yourself on your step daughters CP.

Good luck on your journey.

Jo-Lynn

I don't have any advice to offer, but for what it's worth the term "mild" means jack-squat to me!;)

but for what it's worth the term "mild" means jack-squat to me!;)

You know, perhaps we need t-shirts, or buttons or something. ;)

Each person with CP, like every other person in this whole world, is unique, and so is their CP. So it is extremely hard to categorize CP in terms of mild, severe, etc. I know you did not mean it this way, but some people find it offensive when people try to classify. Because who is to say that someone's CP is more severe or not then another. There is so many variables. And sometimes it can even depend on the day!

Can we please stop the whole "don't describe your CP as mild" line of conversation?

Describing one's CP as "mild" or "severe" is obviously of limited use. But that does not mean it is of no use whatsoever. It is a reasonable way to give a quick description of a person's overall symptomatology.

We all are here to help each other out. Let's not waste time with arguments which boil down to nothing more than semantics.

Thank to everyone who posted. I think a lot of her outbursts come from hormones. She is 16years old and has female things going on, but at the same time she is like a 4 year old and sometimes like an 8 year old. I can't remember what her mom told me her IQ is, but I know it was low. She has also never had consequences for her actions. If she hit someone, slapped someone, lied about her brother doing something to her, was hateful, rude, called someone a bad name or just made up something she knew was bad... she never got in trouble for it. Her parents have just kinda laughed it off. I don't think it is funny, besides the fact that she physically hurts people now. When she hurt someone she was just told "now that wasnt nice was it..." and that was it. Her Dad and I are working with her more and more. But I honestly do not know if he truely believes that she needs punishment (taking something away, time out or spanking) or if he is just making me happy. Her mom has not backed us up on these issues in the past either, she has threatened us. I think her mom is starting to come around also, she has been hit a few more times recently that has helped convince her. I have taken on soooo much becoming her step mom and I am very scared.

Can we please stop the whole "don't describe your CP as mild" line of conversation?

It's up to the person whether or not they want to use those terms. I have found them to be poor descriptors and quite vague, which is why I don't use them. Others find them offensive (I would only be offended if someone said "well your CP is just mild, so don't worry" or something like that) so they don't use them. Then agian, other people think they are fine. I think it's important for people to know that not everyone likes those terms. I wasn't intending to cause a fight, but I will not stop bringing this subject up as it is a good informative situation.

That makes sense to me. I can see how someone would not want their condition to be labeled by someone else. I'll try to be careful with my own language.

I have to say that the level of civility surrounding this question has been nice. No need to turn minor disagreements into major ones.

Thank to everyone who posted. I think a lot of her outbursts come from hormones. She is 16years old and has female things going on, but at the same time she is like a 4 year old and sometimes like an 8 year old. I can't remember what her mom told me her IQ is, but I know it was low. She has also never had consequences for her actions. If she hit someone, slapped someone, lied about her brother doing something to her, was hateful, rude, called someone a bad name or just made up something she knew was bad... she never got in trouble for it. Her parents have just kinda laughed it off. I don't think it is funny, besides the fact that she physically hurts people now. When she hurt someone she was just told "now that wasnt nice was it..." and that was it. Her Dad and I are working with her more and more. But I honestly do not know if he truely believes that she needs punishment (taking something away, time out or spanking) or if he is just making me happy. Her mom has not backed us up on these issues in the past either, she has threatened us. I think her mom is starting to come around also, she has been hit a few more times recently that has helped convince her. I have taken on soooo much becoming her step mom and I am very scared.


I am now convinced that there is more than CP involved here as it is known that CP does not affect intelligence. Infact, those who have CP often have a higher than average IQ. Unfortunately tho, the public hears the slurred/slow speech because of muscle regidity in the tongue and assume otherwise!

I am now convinced that there is more than CP involved here as it is known that CP does not affect intelligence.

I always thought that CP and learning problems could go hand-in-hand...not because the muscle problems affect learning, but because the same brain damage that caused the CP could/can damage other areas of the brain.

I learned from some research I did a while back, that CP and learning problems/ADD, ADHD, can go hand-in-hand in some. I myself have a learning disability.

My son, who is labelled "mild" because his symptoms are a slight limp and some stiffness in his left arm, has difficulty in some math and art subjects, for example. Though he is very bright and scores years ahead of his age on standardized tests, there are some subjects that give him trouble. Drawing is hard for him because he has some issues with fine motor control. He also has some difficult in perceiving spatial relationships as others do. That sometimes makes geometry difficult.

I think it's important to remember that CP describes a group of symptoms, and as the previous poster said, sometimes other areas of the brain are involved and can cause some learning difficulties. Each instance of CP seems to be unique.

Zagreus:

I know this is unlikely, but do you live anywhere near Washington DC?

My son is 4. I would love for him to have a mentor who has a similar condition. Your son's degree of involvement sounds similar to my son's.

Thanks.

CP is a group of disorders in the neurologic region not just muscuar origins. It effects each person differently. Each persons CP is different and so are the symptoms.

Amber/Quincy

No, I don't live near D.C. But if you check with local children's hospitals, they undoubtedly have support groups for parents that might result in your finding someone to work with your son.

New Step Mom,

You are in a very difficult position and my heart goes out to you. I think what needs to be determined is how much intention and control goes into your step-daughters outbursts. I have a friend who's daughter has retts syndrome and as part of that she hits herself and bites. Discipline has been a very hard thing for that family because it doesn't work. It's hard because we'll be in town and people give us looks like "control that child, make her stop screaming" but so far they have not found much that has worked. But the child is not trying to be naughty.

My daughter Alexis has CP, she is only 18 months old and for a long time she would scream hours on end. Well meaning friends and family would tell me she's spoiled or needs discipline but when we found out she had reflux and got her the right medication WALA she was cured of her "naughtiness." So my advice to you is to not jump to conclusions about what needs to be done with your step daughter. If you have concerns share them with her parents and doctors and listen to the insight of those who know her best. If you try to take control and fix things and her parents are not truly supportive of your efforts it will be a waste of your time and create a lot of drama in your family. You all need to be in agreement for anything to work.

Hi,

I have CP and I walk like I am drunk, problems going to the bathroom, and problems writing. It is frustrating and it does make me cry and angry too sometimes. If she has no underlying learning difficulties, then she is probably just finding it hard coming to terms with her body. Does she do all the normal teenage stuff, movies, going shopping with her friends, boyfriends?

She might need some counseling to help her come to terms with it. Disability is very hatd on young women as they want to look nice and like everyone else and sometimes CP makes that hard.

She does have learning disabilities also, her IQ is low, can't remember what Mom told me it was, but it is right on the border of mentally retarded. My husband gets extremly defensive when that term is used, I had tried to tell him that I am not name calling, and that term is allowable depending on how/who term is used. She can barely writer her name, can spell very little, cant color in lines, cant read. She does have a great memory, but asks questions (that she knows the answer too) constantly. She doesnt get frustrated when she doesnt know something, but gets very frustrated when she cant dress herself or something physical she cant do.