| Ataxic cerebral palsy accounts for five to ten percent | | | | milestones of infancy may raise the suspicion of ataxic |
| of all cases of cerebral palsy. In this form of cerebral | | | | cerebral palsy. A physician makes a diagnosis of |
| palsy, there is damage to a part of the brain called the | | | | cerebral palsy by combining a careful physical |
| cerebellum that helps maintain balance and | | | | examination of the patient with findings from imaging |
| coordination. When the cerebellum is damaged, it can | | | | methods, such as CT scans and MRIs. These findings |
| result in poor muscle tone or hypotonia, difficulty | | | | are collectively used to determine whether the brain is |
| maintaining balance and a normal gait, tremors, | | | | developing normally or not. |
| disorders of depth perception and an inability to control | | | | Unfortunately, there is no cure for ataxic cerebral |
| the range and motion of voluntary movements. As a | | | | palsy. The disease can however be treated. There |
| result, children with ataxic cerebral palsy often | | | | are people who think that ataxic cerebral palsy was |
| demonstrate a wide-based, unsteady gait. They may | | | | caused because of a doctor's error. In this case, it is |
| also have intention tremors that are tremors that occur | | | | definitely advisable to seek the counsel of an expert |
| while attempting voluntary movements. Voluntary | | | | cerebral palsy lawyer. The lawyer must perform an |
| movements are typically clumsy and difficult to | | | | investigation to gather all the information surrounding |
| perform; finer movements, such as writing, are most | | | | the ataxic cerebral palsy incident to first see if a strong |
| severely affected. Coarser movements such as | | | | case exists. |
| reaching for objects may also be difficult due to | | | | Ataxic cerebral palsy tends to become progressively |
| altered depth perception. Rapid, involuntary side-to-side | | | | worse as the patient ages. An experimental treatment |
| movements of the eyeballs, or nystagmus, may also | | | | called chronic cerebella stimulation places electrodes |
| be present. Children with ataxic cerebral palsy may | | | | on the surface of the cerebellum. It is thought that |
| also suffer from several other conditions, such as | | | | stimulation of cerebella nerves through these |
| seizures, mental retardation, and visual and hearing | | | | electrodes may improve balance and muscle tone. |
| defects. | | | | However, results have been mixed so far. Again, if you |
| Poor muscle tone, abnormal posture or movements | | | | are confused or have questions about causes and |
| and a delay in achieving the normal developmental | | | | treatments of this disease, seek legal advice. |