Cerebral palsy—also known as CP—is a condition caused by injury to the parts of the brain that control our ability to use our muscles and bodies. Cerebral means having to do with the brain. Palsy means weakness or problems with using the muscles. Often the injury happens before birth, sometimes during delivery, or soon after being born. CP can be mild, moderate, or severe.
Signs and symptoms of cerebral palsySigns of cerebral palsy are different from symptoms of cerebral palsy.
Signs are clinically identifiable effects of brain injury or malformation that cause cerebral palsy. A doctor will discern signs of a health concern during the exam and testing.
Symptoms, on the other hand, are effects the child feels or expresses; symptoms are not necessarily visible.
Impairments resulting from cerebral palsy range in severity, usually in correlation with the degree of injury to the brain. Because cerebral palsy is a group of conditions, signs and symptoms vary from one individual to the next.
The primary effect of cerebral palsy is impairment of muscle tone, gross and fine motor functions, balance, control, coordination, reflexes, and posture. Oral motor dysfunction, such as swallowing and feeding difficulties, speech impairment, and poor facial muscle tone can also indicate cerebral palsy.
Associative conditions, such as sensory impairment, seizures, and learning disabilities that are not a result of the same brain injury, occur frequently with cerebral palsy. When present, these associative conditions may contribute to a clinical diagnosis of cerebral palsy.
Many signs and symptoms are not readily visible at birth, except in some severe cases, and may appear within the first three to five years of life as the brain and child develop.
In these instances, the most apparant early sign of cerebral palsy is developmental delay. Delay in reaching key growth milestones, such as rolling over, sitting, crawling and walking are cause for concern. Practitioners will also look for signs such as abnormal muscle tone, unusual posture, persistent infant reflexes, and early development of hand preference.
If the delivery was traumatic, or if significant risk factors were encountered during pregnancy or birth, doctors may suspect cerebral palsy immediately. In moderate to mild cases of cerebral palsy, parents are often first to notice if the child doesn’t appear to be developing on schedule. If parents do begin to suspect cerebral palsy, they will likely want to ask their physician to evaluate their child for cerebral palsy.
Most experts agree; the earlier a cerebral palsy diagnosis can be made, the better.
However, some caution against making a diagnosis too early, and warn that other conditions need to be ruled out first. Because cerebral palsy is the result of brain injury, and because the brain continues to develop during the first years of life, early tests may not detect the condition. Later, however, the same test may, in fact, reveal the issue.
The earlier a diagnosis is made the sooner a child can be enrolled in early intervention programs and treatment protocols. Early interventions and therapies have proven to help a child maximize their future potential. Early diagnosis also helps families qualify for government benefit programs to pay for such measures.
Signs and symptoms of cerebral palsySigns of cerebral palsy are different from symptoms of cerebral palsy.
Signs are clinically identifiable effects of brain injury or malformation that cause cerebral palsy. A doctor will discern signs of a health concern during the exam and testing.
Symptoms, on the other hand, are effects the child feels or expresses; symptoms are not necessarily visible.
Impairments resulting from cerebral palsy range in severity, usually in correlation with the degree of injury to the brain. Because cerebral palsy is a group of conditions, signs and symptoms vary from one individual to the next.
The primary effect of cerebral palsy is impairment of muscle tone, gross and fine motor functions, balance, control, coordination, reflexes, and posture. Oral motor dysfunction, such as swallowing and feeding difficulties, speech impairment, and poor facial muscle tone can also indicate cerebral palsy.
Associative conditions, such as sensory impairment, seizures, and learning disabilities that are not a result of the same brain injury, occur frequently with cerebral palsy. When present, these associative conditions may contribute to a clinical diagnosis of cerebral palsy.
Many signs and symptoms are not readily visible at birth, except in some severe cases, and may appear within the first three to five years of life as the brain and child develop.
In these instances, the most apparant early sign of cerebral palsy is developmental delay. Delay in reaching key growth milestones, such as rolling over, sitting, crawling and walking are cause for concern. Practitioners will also look for signs such as abnormal muscle tone, unusual posture, persistent infant reflexes, and early development of hand preference.
If the delivery was traumatic, or if significant risk factors were encountered during pregnancy or birth, doctors may suspect cerebral palsy immediately. In moderate to mild cases of cerebral palsy, parents are often first to notice if the child doesn’t appear to be developing on schedule. If parents do begin to suspect cerebral palsy, they will likely want to ask their physician to evaluate their child for cerebral palsy.
Most experts agree; the earlier a cerebral palsy diagnosis can be made, the better.
However, some caution against making a diagnosis too early, and warn that other conditions need to be ruled out first. Because cerebral palsy is the result of brain injury, and because the brain continues to develop during the first years of life, early tests may not detect the condition. Later, however, the same test may, in fact, reveal the issue.
The earlier a diagnosis is made the sooner a child can be enrolled in early intervention programs and treatment protocols. Early interventions and therapies have proven to help a child maximize their future potential. Early diagnosis also helps families qualify for government benefit programs to pay for such measures.