Pediatric stroke is the most common cause of hemiplegic cerebral palsy (hemiplegia), a condition that impairs one side of the body, causing limbs to be completely paralyzed. Closely related, hemiparesis is a condition that causes one side of the body to be significantly weaker than the other, but not paralyzed. However, both conditions are commonly referred to as "hemiplegia," with varying degrees of severity.

Hemiplegia is caused by severe damage to one half of the brain, and affects the side of the body opposite the brain injury. A HemiChild with a left-brain injury is termed "right-side hemiplegic," and a HemiChild with a right-brain injury is termed "left-side hemiplegic." The damage to the brain will never heal, but will also never get worse.

The affected (weaker) side of the body can be vastly improved via a steady regimen of combined Occupational and Physical Therapies, especially when those therapies are started at an early age when neuroplasticity is strongest. Children's brains have the amazing ability to "rewire" neurological pathways to accomplish tasks. This fact is why it is so critical for HemiChildren to receive proper OT and PT therapies, including CIT, as soon after birth as possible.

Therapy missed during these early years cannot be replaced later in life.

Every kid with hemiplegia is different, making it difficult to define the exact symptoms for each child. The following symptoms of hemiplegia will vary from child to child, and can change over the years. The most common symptoms are:

• Weakness, stiffness, and lack of control of one side of the body
• Keeping one hand in a fist with the elbow and wrist folded inward
• Favoring one hand during activities, and ignoring the other hand
• Toe-walking on one or both feet
• Difficulty with balance while walking
• Difficulty with fine motor skills

Potential additional symptoms can include:

• Delays in reaching developmental milestones
• Cognition, mood, perception, and attention deficits
• Receptive and/or expressive language difficulties
• Muscle spasms and spastic attacks
• Problems with memory, especially short-term
• Difficulty swallowing
• Visual impairments, including eye weakness or blurred vision
• Elevated emotional sensitivity
• Seizures

Just like the symptoms, treatments for hemiplegia vary from child to child. Some of these treatments are:

• Physical Therapy to improve gross motor skills
• Occupational Therapy to improve fine motor skills
• Constraint Induced Therapy (CIT)
• Hand Arm Bimanual Intensive Therapy (HABIT)
• Muscle relaxants
• Antibiotics to treat brain infections
• Blood thinners to reduce the chance of a future stroke
• Surgery to relieve muscle spasticity