What is Cerebral Palsy (CP)?
Cerebral Palsy (CP) is a group of permanent disorders of the development of movement and posture, causing activity limitation, that are attributed to non-progressive disturbances that occurred in the developing fetal or infant brain. The motor disorders of cerebral palsy are often accompanied by disturbances of sensation, perception, cognition, communication, and behavior, by epilepsy, and by secondary musculoskeletal problems.
CP is the leading cause of childhood disabilities in the U.S., but it doesn’t always cause severe disabilities. Someone with mild CP may not need any assistance or may have slight problems, while a person with severe CP might need special equipment or lifelong care. Cerebral palsy isn’t progressive, meaning it doesn’t necessarily get worse over time. Some symptoms may even change or get better as the child gets older.
Resources
Center for Cerebral Palsy at UCLA
Provides helpful links and information about funding sources, adaptive shoes and clothing, advocacy services, and adaptive activities and sports.
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Help Me Grow LA
Help Me Grow LA connects all families to free or low-cost programs to help your child’s development. HMG LA also provides resources, tips and tools to help you support your child’s developmental milestones and skills.
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Regional Centers
A Regional Center provides services for people with developmental disabilities throughout their lives. The Regional Centers can do assessments and coordinate, or offer, community support, resources, and services. They have two programs: Early Start for children ages 0-3, and Lanterman Act for children ages 3 and above. A service coordinator works with your family to create an individualized plan to coordinate services based on your child’s needs and goals.
Find the correct Regional Center and Family Resource Center based on your home address. https://admin.publichealth.lacounty.gov/mch/helpmegrow/es/service-locator.html
AD Cerebral Palsy Awareness Webinar Series
2025 Webinar – “Empowering Voices Navigating Life with Cerebral Palsy and Advocating for Inclusion”
2024 Webinar – “Cerebral Palsy Webinar”
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