How Do Doctors Diagnose Cerebral Palsy?

Cerebral palsy is a hard condition to diagnose at birth. Since it is not a hereditary disease, the doctors can not simply check the baby's blood to see if it carries the disease. Also, cerebral palsy describes disorders that are caused by brain damage and brain damage is hard to detect in newborns unless it's severe. Doctors will typically look for symptoms such as abnormal floppiness or rigidity to diagnose cerebral palsy, and these symptoms are not present at birth.

Parents usually alert their child's caregiver of suspected problems. Doctor's will ask questions about the pre-natal care, pregnancy, how healthy the mother was during pregnant and health of the child since birth. After that, the doctor will perform a physical examination.

Once the doctor physically examines the child, they will administer tests to try and determine the potential disability. CP is a non-progressive disorder, so the symptoms a child displays usually determines how severe the condition will be for a lifetime.

Some of the following are ways that a doctor diagnose CP:

1. Reflex testing:

A doctor will check for excessive muscle tone and posture problems. Cerebral palsy children will typically retain reflexes that only infants display. One of these is called the Moro Reflex, which occurs when a baby is held on its back. The baby will reflexively reach up in an embracing gesture.

2. Hand Preference: Babies with CP will show hand preferences as early as 6 months old. Spastic hemiplegia causes one side of the body to be stronger than the other.

3. CT Scans EEG and MRI

By studying CT scans, doctors will be able to determine how severely a child may be brain damaged. The amount of brain damage will help determine how severely a child will be affected by cerebral palsy.

MRIs are able to detect seizure disorders and unusual electrical activity in the brain.

Early diagnosis is absolutely critical in lessening the effects of cerebral palsy. Parents should always consult with their doctor at the first sign of developmental problems.

For more information about cerebral palsy, please visit:

http://www.ucp.org/

http://texasinjuryattorney.com/birth-injury