Can Pediatric Stroke Cause Cerebral Palsy?
Cerebral Palsy is a general term for brain damage in a child under two. Pediatric stroke results in brain damage, but technically the brain damage received from pediatric stroke is not cerebral palsy. Some children can completely recover from a stroke, with no lasting effects. For most however, the stroke can leave a lifetime of lasting effects ranging from mild to severe. These effects almost always mimic the effects of cerebral palsy. The treatments for both types of brain damage are the same. The only real difference between a child with CP and a child that has brain damage as a result of stroke is the cause, which is why most doctors will avoid the confusion by just stating that the post stroke child has CP. Why Do You Know So Much About Pediatric Stroke? On October 2, 1997 my perfectly healthy two-week-old son suffered a massive bilateral stroke, cause still unknown. I found myself thrust into the world of special needs. I felt bewildered, confused and helpless. Every parent copes
