Cerebral palsy

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Central nervous system

Spastic paralysis; Paralysis - spastic

• Seizures
• Muscle contractions
• Difficulty sucking or feeding
• Irregular breathing
• Delayed development of motor skills, such as reaching, sitting, rolling, crawling, walking, and so on
• Motormental retardation
• Mental retardation
• Speech problems (dysarthria)
• Visual problems
• Hearing problems
• Spasticity
• Joint contractures that slowly get worse
• Limited range of motion
• Peg teeth

In many cases, a doctor's examination indicates delayed development of motor skills. Infantile reflexes (such as sucking and startle) may persist past the age where they usually disappear. Muscle tremor or spasticity may be evident, with a tendency of infants to tuck their arms in toward their sides, scissors movements of the legs, or other abnormal movements.

Various laboratory tests may be performed to eliminate nutritional or other causes of the symptoms.

• MRI of the head demonstrates structural or congenital abnormalities
• CT scan of the head demonstrates structural or congenital abnormalities
• Hearing screen (to determine auditory status)
• Visual testing (to determine visual status)
• EEG
• Blood tests to exclude metabolic or hereditary conditions

Review Date: 08/07/2006
Reviewed By: Daniel Kantor, M.D., Director of the Comprehensive MS Center, NeuroscienceInstitute, University of Florida Health Science Center, Jacksonville, FL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.