Facts about cerebral palsy

25 Facts About Cerebral Palsy

In honour of World Cerebral Palsy Day, we wanted to provide our readers with some facts about cerebral palsy.  At Sommers, Roth & Elmaleh, we regularly represent children, parents, and families who have been affected by cerebral palsy. We are passionate advocates for the condition, and remain committed to increasing knowledge and understanding of what the condition is and how it impacts those who live with it.

Things to Know About Cerebral Palsy

1)  Cerebral palsy is the most common physical disability in children.

2) Cerebral= “of the brain”; Palsy= “lack of muscle control”.

3) Cerebral palsy is caused by an injury to the developing brain, and can occur during pregnancy, during labour and delivery, at birth, or, in some cases, up until early childhood (due to infection or other trauma to the brain).

4) Birth injuries can be caused by medical malpractice (medical error or negligence).

5) The most common cause of cerebral palsy due to birth injury is oxygen deprivation (also known as hypoxic insult) causing HIE (hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy) or NE (neonatal encephalopathy).

6) As a person with cerebral palsy or the parent of a child with cerebral palsy, you may seek damages (i.e. compensation) if you believe a doctor or other medical professional made an error or failed to meet their standard of care causing cerebral palsy.

7) A medical malpractice lawsuit can result in damages awarded to victims and/or their families in recognition of injuries suffered. Damages can be in the tens of millions of dollars, depending on the circumstances.

8) In addition to damages for injuries suffered, victims and/or their families may also be eligible for other compensation including money for equipment, wheelchair vans, home accessibility modifications, and attendant care services.

9) Every person with cerebral palsy is unique, with a wide variety of experiences and symptoms.

10) Some symptoms of cerebral palsy include: difficulty with gross motor skills (e.g. walking), difficulty with fine motor skills (e.g. writing, eating), difficulty speaking, involuntary movements, breathing problems, and poor bladder control.

11) Other conditions associated with cerebral palsy include learning disabilities, global developmental delay, vision impairment, hearing impairment, and seizures.

12) The degree of physical impairment is not an indication of intelligence. The location of the brain injury will determine the type and level of disability and how the movement of the person with cerebral palsy is affected. Some brain injuries will affect cognition (intelligence) and behavior while others will affect motor control.

13) Cerebral palsy can affect motor control on one side of the body and manifest much like a stroke. This is known as “unilateral cerebral palsy” or “hemiplegia”.

14) Cerebral palsy can be “bilateral”, affecting motor control on both sides of the body.

15) Cerebral palsy can also affect lower limb control, with little or no effect on upper limb function. This is known as “diplegia”.

16) “Quadriplegia” or “tetraplegia” refers to cerebral palsy that affects the whole body, including all limbs and the trunk.

17) Motor control problems associated with cerebral palsy include spasticity (reactive reflexes and sensitive muscles); dystonia (variability in muscle tone), athetosis (writhing movements of the limbs and head, instability of the trunk), and ataxia (lack of coordination and unsteadiness of the trunk).

18) Cerebral palsy is not contagious. Cerebral palsy is not hereditary (i.e. cannot be passed down to your children).

19) Cerebral palsy is not life-threatening. Individuals with cerebral palsy have a normal life expectancy.

20) In circumstances where there is a difficult birth (forceps, vacuum, or emergency caesarean section), cerebral palsy is often diagnosed using CAT scans (Computerized Axial Tomography) and MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) that can identify lesions in the baby’s brain. A child with CP will likely be delayed in reaching their developmental milestones.

21) Cerebral palsy is not progressive, although symptoms may vary throughout a person’s lifetime.

22) It is estimated that one out of every 400 individuals in Canada are diagnosed with cerebral palsy.

23) There are more than 50,000 Canadians with cerebral palsy

24) OHIP and other government benefits, often provided through Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs) and Community Care Access (CCAC) are rarely sufficient to cover the significant medical and other costs associated with raising a child with cerebral palsy.

25) There are many organizations in Canada that are dedicated to assisting families of children with disabilities including cerebral palsy such as: Provincial Cerebral Palsy Associations, Ontario Federation for Cerebral Palsy, Easter Seals Canada, March of Dimes Canada, The CP Canada Network, The Cerebral Palsy Support Foundation of Canada, etc.

At Sommers, Roth & Elmaleh, our goal is to obtain compensation and financial security for families whose lives have been impacted by cerebral palsy. Over the years, we have won some of the largest medical malpractice awards in Canadian history for our clients. As one of the oldest medical malpractice firms in Toronto, we are well-established and highly respected in the medical malpractice field and have helped clients from all across Canada, including Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Quebec and Newfoundland. We offer contingency fee agreements. Call us at 1-844-777-7372 or contact us online for a free consultation.

 

 

Disclaimer and Liability Exclusion

The information on this page is provided for general information purposes only. It should not be construed as legal advice. It does not constitute legal or other professional advice or an opinion of any kind. Readers should seek specific legal advice regarding any specific legal issues. We do not in any way guarantee or warrant the accuracy, completeness or quality of the information on this page. The posts on this page are current as of their original date of publication, but they should not be relied upon as timely, accurate or fit for any particular purpose.

Accessing or using this web site or the content herein does not create a lawyer-client relationship.

This page may contain links to third party web sites. We are unable to, and do not, monitor and guarantee the quality of the information disseminated and accessible through those links, which are provided for convenience only. We do not endorse the information contained in linked web sites nor guarantee its accuracy, timeliness or fitness for a particular purpose.

    If you have been affected by medical malpractice anywhere in Canada contact us for a free consultation.
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    A lawyer from Sommers Roth & Elmaleh will be in touch with you as soon as possible. Please note that no lawyer-client, advisory, or fiduciary relationship is created by your inquiry. All information provided is confidential.

    The above information is not legal advice. Past results of cases and recoveries by our medical malpractice lawyers against hospitals, doctors, midwives, nurses and other healthcare professionals are not necessarily indicative of future results. The amounts recovered and other litigation outcomes will vary according to the facts in individual cases.


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    Dear Mr Hilik Y. And Jeremy Syrtash. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to you and Sommers Roth and Elmaleh Professional Corporation staff for all you have done with respect to my wife case. My wife was a victim of Medical Malpractice after giving birth to our daughter. She become legally disabled both physically and mentally. The entire family devastated emotionally as my wife struggle to cope with the new reality. The case of Medical Malpractice is quite often a complex case to prove. However, due to your strong commitment, knowledge and dedication combined with strong professionalism the case was successfully won after a long arduous fight. The victory would not have been possible without your dedication and thorough research in the implementation of the standards of the Sommers Roth and Elmaleh Professional Corporation. Justice prevailed at last which in turn allowed my vulnerable wife to feel more optimistic about her future and that of our family. The positive outcome of this case has changed our lives forever. It would not have been possible without the excellent representation of Sommers Roth and Elmaleh Professional Corporation and its legal counsel. My wife and I will be deeply grateful for the successful outcome of this case for many years to come. Solomon Regassa
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    10 October 2022
    We deeply appreciate Sommers Roth & Elmaleh for their professional skills and hard-working through the whole process of my son’s case. I still remember the first conversation we took with Mr. Hilik Y Elmaleh in his lawyer office sixteen years ago. From then on, your dedication, patience, understanding and continuous communications kept our encouragements and expectations for my son and our family. With the case settled down, my son can receive the full financial support, continuous therapies and finishing his university course. It is no doubt to say that Sommers Roth & Elmaleh not only changed our family’s life but also did contributions to the society, because my son can grow in a happy and health way in his teenage and receive university education from this autumn. Again we hereby strongly recommend the services provided by the lawyer office Sommers Roth & Elmaleh to those who needs the similar legal consultation and support. Even the door of your family was closed by some unfortunate events, there are more windows can be opened. The lawyers in Sommers Roth & Elmaleh are exactly the people who can open the windows and convert the sun-shine again to your family: Mr. Hilik Y Elmaleh,Mr.Jeremy Syrtash, Miss Fanny Peter ...etc. Finally, we express the deepest gratitude and appreciation again to Mr. Hilik Y Elmaleh and lawyer office Sommers Roth & Elmaleh. Wish a brighter future of Sommers Roth & Elmaleh !
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    6 October 2022
    I am so glad that my son's CP medical case was completely successful. I appreciate lawyer Hilik Elmaleh, Jeremy Syrtash, Fanny Peter and their team's hard work. They are so knowledgeable, responsible and reliable. Thanks is not enough to express my gratitude. Mr. Hilik Elmaleh deserves "The Best Lawyer in Canada" award.
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    29 September 2022
    I would like to extend my gratitude towards Mr. Hilik Elmaleh, Jermey Syntash, and Fanny Peter for their dedication, time, effort, and knowledge invested into my case. This is honestly the best team of lawyers in Canada. I would highly recommend them for any of your cases.
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    18 July 2022
    I would like to take this opportunity to thank our daughter's "Dream Team", Hilik Elmaleh, Jeremy Syrtash and Fanny Peter. The compassion, dedication, knowledge, experience and their recognition in the legal community have ensured us that we were on the right track working with the firm Sommers, Roth and Elmaleh. Words cannot express enough my gratitude! I will be forever grateful!
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    6 June 2022
    Thank you does not begin to express the depth of gratitude I have for Sommers Roth & Elmaleh Professional Corporation. From the first day I sat in Hilik's office, not once did I feel apprehensive. My concerns and worries were put at ease due to the kindness and compassion of Hilik, Jeremy and Fanny and their relentless persistence to secure my daughter's future. This has been a long but successful endeavor during some difficult times and through it all, the Team has been resilient, informative and were always available. I highly recommend this dedicated and professional law firm and I will be forever in their debt.
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    1 December 2021
    I was in a serious horse accident where the horse was injured and should never have been ridden. The owner of the horse was aware that the horse had chronic arthritis issues and the veterinarians at Guelph had told him the horse could decompensate at any time and could cause serious injury whether being led or ridden and could never be jumped again. The horse had been shown at the grand prix level and the owner had payed quite a bit of money for him. After consulting with several lawyers and having one that did represent me at the discoveries who later quit, Jeremy Syrtash took on the case and followed through with guelph university. That is how we found out that the vets had recommended the above. Without Jeremy's efforts and follow through the case would never have continued on. Because of these efforts the case was successful. Thank you so much Jeremy. You are a dedicated, thorough, excellent lawyer and it's been a pleasure to have you as my lawyer!!
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    16 April 2021
    Mr. Elmaleh and his team are very professional and experts in their field. Recommend to everyone who has suffered medical negligence.
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    18 July 2020
    We want to start by saying how much we highly recommend Sommers, Roth and Elmaleh for anyone who is dealing with a situation involving medical malpractice. Hilik and the entire firm have allowed us the opportunity to give our little girl the life she deserves. There is no taking back what happened, but they truly turned such a tragedy into a victory. They fought long and hard, and put forth so much time and effort into making the individuals accountable and responsible for the mistakes that were made. They always showed true compassion for our family, guided us with ease, and supported us through every step. This was such a life changing experience with the firm, and honestly we will always be forever grateful and thankful.