If you suspect that your child may have cerebral palsy, it is important to understand its consequences and how you can get the help you and your family need. Promptly recognizing the first signs of cerebral palsy is crucial as is quickly contacting medical professionals who can help your child lead an improved quality of life.
What Are the Signs and Symptoms?
Cerebral palsy’s impact and the signs and symptoms can vary from person to person. Some symptoms may manifest right at birth. Other signs and symptoms may show up within the first three to five years of a child’s life, when children grow, develop and typically hit certain growth milestones. Cerebral palsy primarily affects the following:
Muscle tone: One of the most noticeable signs of cerebral palsy is impaired muscle tone. When your child does not have proper muscle tone, they may not be able to sit, stand or have good posture without someone’s help. Cerebral palsy may lead to muscle deformities such as hypertonia where there is increased muscle tone or tension leading to stiff limbs. Or it may cause hypotonia where the child’s limbs may appear flaccid or floppy.
Fine motor skills: These skills require the coordination of small muscles working together in movements. Fine motor skills are needed to perform functions such as picking up an object or turning the page of a book.
Posture: Cerebral palsy will also often affect a child’s posture and balance. One of the indicators is when your child’s left and right limbs do not mirror each other. These types of symptoms may not manifest until children begin to sit up or move around.
Oral functions: Signs of oral motor function impairment include difficulty speaking, swallowing, chewing and feeding. Some children with oral problems may also be drooling more than normal.
Developmental milestones: One of the most obvious early sign of cerebral palsy is when a child does not reach key developmental milestones such as saying their first word or taking their first step. The manner in which your child learns, interacts or speaks can offer key insights on how they are developing.
What Steps Can You Take?
If you believe that your child is displaying cerebral palsy symptoms or if you notice some of these initial signs, get medical attention right away. Your doctor may order magnetic resonance imaging or an MRI, which uses magnetic and radio waves to capture an image of the brain and spine. Early intervention is also very important for cerebral palsy patients, which is done with treatments and therapies. These can range from physical therapy and speech therapy to surgery.
It is important for parents to immediately contact an experienced New York cerebral palsy lawyer and obtain more information about pursuing their legal rights. In many instances, medical negligence (carelessness) on the part of hospitals and/or doctors have resulted in birth injuries and cerebral palsy.
Contacting an Experienced Lawyer
The experienced New York personal injury attorneys at the Law Offices of Kenneth A. Wilhelm can help you better understand your legal rights and options, and also fight hard to recover just compensation for you. One of our clients obtained a verdict for $43,940,000 and another of our clients got a verdict for $23,500,000, both in medical malpractice cases.
We have seen many cases where New York City Health and Hospital Corporation facilities deliver babies who are born with cerebral palsy or brachial plexus palsy (Erb’s palsy) stemming from negligence (carelessness), and/or medical malpractice in the labor and delivery etc. of the children.
The following list identifies some of these hospitals (operated by New York City Health and Hospital Corporation):
• Jacobi Hospital aka Bronx Municipal 1400 Pelham Parkway South Bronx, New York 10461 718-918-5000
• Lincoln Hospital 234 East 149th Street Bronx, New York 10451 718-579-5000
• North Central Bronx Hospital 3424 Kossuth Avenue Bronx, New York 10467 718-519-5000
• Coney Island Hospital 2601 Ocean Parkway Brooklyn, New York 11235 718-616-3000
• Kings County Hospital 451 Clarkson Avenue Brooklyn, New York 11203 718-245-3131
• Woodhull Hospital 760 Broadway Brooklyn, New York 11206 718-963-8000
• Bellevue Hospital 462 First Avenue New York, New York 10016 212-562-5555
• Harlem Hospital 506 Lenox Avenue New York, New York 10037 212-939-1000
• Metropolitan Hospital 1901 First Avenue New York, New York 10029 212-423-6262
• Elmhurst Hospital 79-01 Broadway Elmhurst, New York 11373 718-334-4000
• Queens Hospital Center 82-68 164th Street Jamaica, New York 11432 718-883-3000
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