Diagnosing Cerebral Palsy

If you are the parent of a child with cerebral palsy you probably had suspicions somewhat early on that something wasn’t “right.” Perhaps you noticed issues with your baby’s muscle tone or posture, or, if you are the parent of other children, were alerted by significant developmental delays.

Most children with cerebral palsy begin to exhibit signs and symptoms of cerebral palsy by the time they are six months old. In particular, developmental milestones such as sitting up, rolling over, walking, crawling, and talking are delayed enough to cause concern for both the parent and the child’s doctor.

Many doctors hesitate to make a diagnosis of cerebral palsy when the child is young. This is because the immature brain is significantly better at repairing itself than the more mature brain. When a brain injury occurs in a young child, it’s possible that the injury will resolve or significantly improve over time.

In most cases, cerebral palsy is diagnosed by the age of two or three. During the diagnosis phase, the following occurs:

• Doctors will review the mother’s pregnancy, labor, and delivery.
• Motor skills, muscle tone, and posture will be evaluated.
• Other issues and problems will be assessed and evaluated.
• Intelligence will be assessed.
• Other disorders and diseases will be ruled out.
• Doctors will perform imaging tests that such as computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to generate pictures of the brain to look for damage.