How Do They Diagnose Cerebral Palsy?

Cerebral Palsy is actually quite difficult to diagnose at birth. It isn't a genetic disease, so there is no way to identify it through blood analysis. Loosely, cerebral palsy is a term that is used to describe a group of disorders that are caused by brain damage. Brain damage is nearly undetectable in newborns unless it is quite severe.

The symptoms in infants--such as abnormal floppiness or rigidity will lead a doctor to diagnose cerebral palsy. These symptoms, however, are not usually present at birth.

Doctors are initially alerted by the concerned parents of the children. The doctor will typically ask detailed questions about the pre-natal care of the child, whether their was problems with the pregnancy, what the mother's health was like during pregnancy and whether or not the child was born prematurely.

At this point the doctor will administer a full physical exam. Once the doctor has eliminated the possibility of general health problems, they will then begin to test for different disabilities. Since cerebral palsy is a non-progressive disorder, the symptoms that a child initially displays will typically determine the severity of the symptoms over their life time.

Testing Done For Cerebral Palsy

The following are different kinds of tests administered to identify cerebral palsy.

1. Reflex testing

A doctor will typically check for excessive muscle tone and reflexes. Cerebral palsy children often retain reflexes that healthy children lose after infancy.

2. Hand Preference

Most babies don't have a hand preference until they reach the age of about 12 months old. Those with cerebral palsy will typically show hand preference as young as 6 months old.

3. CT Scans EEG and MRI Diagnosis

All of these can help test the brain to identify brain damage.

For more information about the diagnosis of cerebral palsy, visit http://www.ucp.org/

Did you know that cerebral palsy can sometimes be the result of medical malpractice at birth? If you suspect that medical error played a part in your child's cerebral palsy, contact a cerebral palsy attorney by calling 1 800 ATTORNEY today.