Signs of Cerebral Palsy

What are the signs of Cerebral Palsy?

The phrase "signs of Cerebral Palsy" should, strictly speaking, refer only to those signs and symptoms of Cerebral Palsy that are not readily apparent to the patient. The word "symptoms of Cerebral Palsy" is the more general meaning; see symptoms of Cerebral Palsy.

The signs and symptom information on this page attempts to provide a list of some possible signs and symptoms of Cerebral Palsy. This medical information about signs and symptoms for Cerebral Palsy has been gathered from various sources, may not be fully accurate, and may not be the full list of Cerebral Palsy signs or Cerebral Palsy symptoms. Furthermore, signs and symptoms of Cerebral Palsy may vary on an individual basis for each patient. Only your doctor can provide adequate diagnosis of any signs or symptoms and whether they are indeed Cerebral Palsy symptoms.

List of symptoms of Cerebral Palsy:

The list of medical symptoms mentioned in various sources for Cerebral Palsy includes those listed below. Note that Cerebral Palsy symptoms usually refers to various medical symptoms known to a patient, but the phrase Cerebral Palsy signs may often refer to those signs that are only noticable by a doctor:

• Floppy baby
• Difficulty sucking
• Movement problems
  • Balance difficulty
  • Walking difficulty
  • Involuntary movements
  • Spastic limb paralysis
  • Athetosis (involuntary writhing movements)
  • Difficulty with fine motor control
  • Spastic paralysis
  • Muscle rigidity
• Normal intelligence - some types of cerebral palsy do not cause any mental retardation
• Mental impairment - some types do cause retardation
• Developmental delay
  • Delayed developmental milestones
  • Speech difficulty
  • Speech defects
• Hearing disorders
• Non-progressive - symptoms will not worsen over time
• Seizures
• Epilepsy

Signs or Symptoms of Cerebral Palsy:

NINDS Cerebral Palsy Information Page: NINDS (Excerpt)

Symptoms of cerebral palsy include difficulty with fine motor tasks (such as writing or using scissors), difficulty maintaining balance or walking, involuntary movements. The symptoms differ from person to person and may change over time. Some people with cerebral palsy are also affected by other medical disorders, including seizures or mental impairment, but cerebral palsy does not always cause profound handicap. Early signs of cerebral palsy usually appear before 3 years of age. Infants with cerebral palsy are frequently slow to reach developmental milestones such as learning to roll over, sit, crawl, smile, or walk. Cerebral palsy may be congenital or acquired after birth. (Source: excerpt from NINDS Cerebral Palsy Information Page: NINDS)

NINDS Cerebral Palsy Information Page: NINDS (Excerpt)

Although its symptoms may change over time, cerebral palsy by definition is not progressive, so if a patient shows increased impairment, the problem may be something other than cerebral palsy. (Source: excerpt from NINDS Cerebral Palsy Information Page: NINDS)

More symptoms of Cerebral Palsy:

More detailed symptom information may be found on the symptoms of Cerebral Palsy article. In addition to the above medical information, to get a full picture of the possible signs or symptoms of this condition and also possibly the signs and symptoms of its related medical conditions, it may be necessary to examine symptoms that may be caused by complications of Cerebral Palsy, underlying causes of Cerebral Palsy, associated conditions for Cerebral Palsy, risk factors for Cerebral Palsy, or other related conditions.

Medical articles on signs and symptoms:

These general reference articles may be related to medical signs and symptoms of disease in general:

• Books on signs and symptoms
• Books on medical diagnosis
• Symptoms of the Silent Killer Diseases
• Symptoms and Medical Malpractice