Cerebral palsy is caused by a brain injury that occurs before, during or shortly after birth. Hearing a diagnosis of cerebral palsy raises the immediate question “why does my child have cerebral palsy?” That is likely only the first of many questions that a parent will ask. The answer to the question is simple but difficult to hear “because your child has brain damage.” This answer raises the next question “why does my child have brain damage?” That question opens up a discussion and discovery process that is less clear. There are a number of factors that can contribute to an injury of the brain and produce cerebral palsy but geography isn’t one of them. Unfortunately these brain injuries affect people living in Atlanta like they do people living everywhere else.
There are two types of conditions that can cause cerebral palsy; neurological damage and developmental malformation. Within those two condition categories there are a number of contributing factors. With developmental malformations the fetus may fail to develop the usual number of brain cells or they may not migrate to the appropriate area of the brain. When a brain malformation occurs in an area of the brain that controls motor function it can cause cerebral palsy.
If your child has cerebral palsy caused by neurological damage it raises a number of other questions about the cause. Injuries causing cerebral palsy are typically caused by complications related to premature birth, trauma to the brain, or difficult labor and delivery. Knowing the causes forces you to ask “did I do everything that I could?” “Did the doctors and nurses?” Understanding what happened and maybe what should or shouldn’t have can be difficult to sort out.
If you’re struggling with these questions you need the help of an experienced brain injury lawyer. If you live in the Atlanta area, please contact the Georgia personal injury attorneys at Robbins Law, PC today to schedule a no-cost, confidential consultation.