mom sectionmom sectionCerebral palsy is not a single disease but rather an umbrella term for a group of disorders that interfere with the ability to coordinate body movements. The signs of these disorders may be present at birth, but cerebral palsy is usually not definitively diagnosed until age 1 or 2. Caused by damage to the brain before birth or in the early developmental stages of a child's life, CP has no cure and is most likely to occur in children who were born prematurely or with low birth weights.
Cerebral palsy includes a group of motor, non-contagious ailments that result in physical disability when it comes to physical development. The disease affects the brain and results in the disorder of physical movement. Cerebral palsy includes many signs and symptoms, many of which are evident during a child's infant and toddler years. Most signs are easily detectable before a child is 18 months old, though some signs--such as delay in walking--are closer to 2 years.
The first signs suggesting cerebral palsy (CP) are usually noticed by parents, generally before a child is 18 months old. Motor skills, including developmental delays in basic infant milestones such as rolling over, sitting, crawling or walking, are common signs signaling cerebral palsy. For example, there are children who have muscle tone that is abnormal. A child with decreased muscle tone (hypotonia) appears too relaxed, looking floppy. On the other hand, some babies experience increased muscle tone (hypertonia) in which they look rigid or stiff. Unusual posture may involve favoring one side of the body.
As a parent, you will observe dozens of things about your infant in the normal course of the baby's development. Normal playing and feeding activities, as well as other daily functions, all provide opportunities to monitor motor skills development. Failure to reach normal developmental milestones, or delayed attainment of milestones, may help you detect a serious neurological disorder such as cerebral palsy. Read on to learn how to test infant motor skills to detect cerebral palsy.
