What are the signs and symptoms of cerebral palsy?
A person with cerebral palsy will generally show symptoms during the first three years of life. A child/baby with cerebral palsy may have some of the signs and symptoms below: • Achieves developmental milestones, such as crawling, walking, or speaking, later than his/her peers. • Crawls in an unusual way. • Has abnormal muscle tone – the child will slouch while sitting. Muscle tone refers to a person’s automatic ability to tighten and relax muscle when required. • Has difficulty feeding and sucking. • Lies down in awkward positions. • Can be easily startled. • Favors one side of the body over the other. • Has overdeveloped or underdeveloped muscles (has floppy or stiff movements). • Has bad coordination and balance (ataxia). • Has involuntary, slow writing movements (athetosis). • Muscles are stiff and contract abnormally (spastic paralysis). • Has hearing problems. • Has problems with eyesight. • Has bladder control problems. • Has bowel movement control problems. • Has seizures. • Ha
