We Need More Research Studies About Adults With Cerebral Palsy

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When people think of cerebral palsy, they may think of it as a childhood condition. After all, about 8,000 babies are diagnosed with it annually, along with another 1,200 -1,500 toddlers. Across the USA, about 764,000 children and adults have some form of cerebral palsy, according to the organization Cerebral Palsy Guidance. For the most part, research about cerebral palsy focuses on children, but those children grow up to be adults with cerebral palsy.

Cerebral palsy is a non-progressive condition that affects movement, posture and balance. That is, the condition does not get worse as a child transitions to adulthood. Conditions associated with cerebral palsy can certainly develop, however, even if the brain injury never changes. Ageing can happen faster in people with cerebral palsy because it can take five times as much energy for someone with cerebral palsy to complete a routine task. According to the Cerebral Palsy Foundation, about 17 million people worldwide have cerebral palsy. While cerebral palsy is diagnosed frequently between the ages of 2 and 5, it is possible to develop cerebral palsy later in life as a result of accident or trauma.

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