The signs and symptoms of cerebral palsy may be mild or subtle or quite obvious. Depending on the severity, they may also not be readily apparent at birth, but appear over the first one or two years of development. Below is a list of various signs and symptoms of cerebral palsy:
- Poor head control
- Difficulty feeding and sucking
- Delays in motor development
- Lying in awkward positions
- Easily or frequently startled
- Delay in crawling, walking, pushing up on all fours
- Favoring of one hand over the other
- Abnormal crawling
- Floppy or stiff movements (overdeveloped or underdeveloped muscles)
- Ataxia (loss of coordination and balance)·
- Athetosis (involuntary slow, writhing movements)
- Spastic paralysis (abnormal stiffness and contraction of muscles)
- Motor impairment (difficulty with writing and other coordinated tasks)
- Involuntary movements
- Slow overall development
- Difficulty with speech, hearing, or vision
- Difficulty with perception or sensation
- Inability to control bladder
- Inability to control bowels
- Breathing difficulties
- Seizures
- Behavioral and/or attention deficit disorders
- Impaired sense of touch or pain
- Swallowing problems
- Limited range of motion
- Progressive joint contractures
- Peg teeth
If your family has been affected by a birth injury such as cerebral palsy caused by a doctor's mistake or delivery room negligence, we invite you to contact our firm to discuss your case in a free initial consultation.
