As some muscles contract, others must relax. Muscles coordinate with other muscles, oftentimes in pairs. The most noticeable sign of Cerebral Palsy is impairment of muscle tone – the ability of muscles to work together by maintaining proper resistance. The eight clinical signs include muscle tone, movement coordination and control, reflexes, posture, balance, gross motor function, fine motor function and oral motor function. As a child grows, these changes affect skeletal and joint development, which may lead to impairment and possibly deformities. Cerebral Palsy is caused by a brain injury or brain abnormality that interferes with the brain cells responsible for controlling muscle tone, strength, and coordination. Since Cerebral Palsy is most often diagnosed in the first several years of life, when a child is too young to effectively communicate his or her symptoms, signs are the primary method of recognizing the likelihood of Cerebral Palsy.Ĭerebral Palsy is a neurological condition which primarily causes orthopedic impairment. Early diagnosis also helps families qualify for government benefit programs to pay for such measures. Early interventions and therapies have proven to help a child maximize their future potential. The earlier a diagnosis is made, the sooner a child can be enrolled in early intervention programs and treatment protocols. Later, however, the same test may, in fact, reveal the issue. 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. However, some caution against making a diagnosis too early, and warn that other conditions need to be ruled out first. Most experts agree the earlier a Cerebral Palsy diagnosis can be made, the better. If parents do begin to suspect Cerebral Palsy, they will likely want to ask their physician to evaluate their child for Cerebral Palsy. 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 the delivery was traumatic, or if significant risk factors were encountered during pregnancy or birth, doctors may suspect Cerebral Palsy immediately. Practitioners will also look for signs such as abnormal muscle tone, unusual posture, persistent infant reflexes, and early development of hand preference. Delays in reaching key growth milestones, such as rolling over, sitting, crawling and walking are cause for concern. In these instances, the most apparent early sign of Cerebral Palsy is developmental delay. 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. When present, these associative conditions may contribute to a clinical diagnosis of Cerebral Palsy. Oral motor dysfunction, such as swallowing and feeding difficulties, speech impairment, and poor facial muscle tone can also indicate Cerebral Palsy.Īssociative conditions, such as sensory impairment, seizures, and learning disabilities that are not a result of the same brain injury, occur frequently with Cerebral Palsy. The primary effect of Cerebral Palsy is impairment of muscle tone, gross and fine motor functions, balance, control, coordination, reflexes, and posture. Because Cerebral Palsy is a group of conditions, signs and symptoms vary from one individual to the next. Impairments resulting from Cerebral Palsy range in severity, usually in correlation with the degree of injury to the brain. Symptoms, on the other hand, are effects the child feels or expresses symptoms are not necessarily visible. A doctor will discern signs of a health concern during the exam and testing. Signs are clinically identifiable effects of brain injury or malformation that cause Cerebral Palsy. Signs of Cerebral Palsy are different from symptoms of Cerebral Palsy. Reaching the expected developmental benchmarks of infancy and childhood – sitting, rolling over, crawling, standing and walking – are a matter of great joy for parents, but what if a child’s developmental timetable seems delayed? There are many tell-tale signs that a child may have Cerebral Palsy, but those factors can be indicative of many conditions.
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