Early signs of Cerebral Palsy usually appear before
18 months of age, and parents are often the first to suspect that
their infant is not developing motor skills normally. Infants with
Cerebral Palsy are frequently slow to reach developmental milestones,
such as learning to roll over, sit, crawl, smile, or walk. This
is sometimes called developmental delay.
Some affected children have abnormal muscle tone.
Decreased muscle tone is called hypotonia; the baby may seem flaccid
and relaxed, even floppy. Increased muscle tone is called hypertonia,
and the baby may seem stiff or rigid. In some cases, the baby has
an early period of hypotonia that progresses to hypertonia after
the first 2 to 3 months of life. Affected children may also have
unusual posture or favor one side of their body.
Since many of the normal developmental milestones,
such as reaching for toys (3-4 months), sitting (6-7 months), and
walking (10-14 months), are based on motor function, a physician
may suspect Cerebral Palsy in a child whose development of these
skills is delayed. In making a diagnosis of Cerebral Palsy, the
physician takes into account these delays in developmental milestones
as well as physical findings that might include abnormal muscle
tone, abnormal movements, abnormal reflexes and persistent infantile
reflexes.
Making a definite diagnosis of Cerebral Palsy is not always easy,
especially before the child's first birthday. In fact, diagnosing
Cerebral Palsy usually involves a period of waiting for the definite
and permanent appearance of specific motor problems.
Most children with Cerebral Palsy can be diagnosed
by the age of 18 months, but eighteen months is a long time for
parents to wait for a diagnosis, and this is understandably a difficult
period for them. Making a diagnosis of Cerebral Palsy is also difficult
when, for example, a two-year- old has suffered a head injury.
The child may immediately appear to be severely injured, and three
months after the injury he may have symptoms that are typical of
a child with Cerebral Palsy. But one year after the injury such
a child may be completely normal. This child does not have Cerebral
Palsy. Although he has a scar on his brain, the scar is not permanently
impairing his motor activities. After injury, waiting and observing
are necessary before the diagnosis can be made.
Parents who are concerned about their baby's development
for any reason should contact their physician, who can help distinguish
normal variation in development from a developmental disorder.
In dealing with Cerebral
Palsy, it is important to understand the available Cerebral
Palsy Treatments that go along with a Cerebral
Palsy Diagnosis after Cerebral
Palsy has been detected. Through extensive, technology based Cerebral
Palsy Research, there is hope for possible future Cerebral
Palsy Prevention.
If your child has any type of Cerebral
Palsy such as Athetoid
Cerebral Palsy, Spastic
Cerebral Palsy, or Ataxic
Cerebral Palsy, feel comfort in knowing you have made a step
in the right direction by contacting us.
