Cerebral palsy is a condition caused by abnormalities in the brain that affect movement, posture and balance. Cerebral palsy is a birth defect that usually is diagnosed by the time children are three years old. According to the March of Dimes, many children born with cerebral palsy also have other disabilities that could include vision, speech or hearing problems, learning difficulties and mental retardation. Certain symptoms will let parents know how to identify cerebral palsy.
Step 1
Keep track of when your baby begins to control her own head when she is picked up. By the age of two months, babies should begin to have more control over their head movements.
Step 2
Alert your pediatrician if your baby scissors her legs stiffly, crossing one over the other, when you pick her up.
Step 3
Get your child checked for the disease if he reaches for objects with one hand while keeping the other hand in a fist. After the age of six months, children should be utilizing both hands for grabbing and holding things.
Step 4
Watch your baby beginning to crawl. He may be exhibiting signs of cerebral palsy if by six months he crawls by pulling himself on one side and dragging the other. Additionally, children should be crawling at least by the age of one and should be able to stand with support.
Step 5
Ask your pediatrician to check your baby for stiffness or unusually floppy movements if she does not seem to be moving normally. Cerebral palsy is diagnosed early by considering the baby's muscle tone, which may be too tight or too loose.
Step 6
Let the doctor perform additional tests as the baby develops. Researchers at Merck report that nerve conduction studies and muscle biopsies can help to provide a definitive diagnosis.
Tips and Warnings
- There are four types of cerebral palsy that cannot be correctly diagnosed until a child is two years old. The spastic type, which affects more than 70 percent of the cases, is characterized by abnormal muscle development and control.
- Researchers at the March of Dimes report that brain scans, such at computed tomography (CT) given to children who present mild symptoms of cerebral palsy, do not always show the brain abnormalities that are causing the symptoms. Many children have extremely small abnormalities in the brain that are not always visible on X-rays.
Things You'll Need
- CT scan
- Nerve tests
- Muscle biopsy
