History and Symptoms of Cerebral Palsy

 In the 1860s, an English surgeon named William Little wrote the first medical descriptions of a puzzling disorder that affected children in the first years of life, causing stiff, spastic muscles in their legs and to a lesser degree, their arms. Little though it had to do with the lack of oxygen during birth, but Sigmund Freud thought it could also happen while the baby is developing in the womb that the brain doesn’t develop normally. In the 1980s, however, scientists analyzed extensive data from a government study of more than 35,000 births and were surprised to discover that such complications account for only a fraction of cases–probably less than 10 percent.

Some symptoms that may tell you if your baby has Cerebral Palsy is putting a newborn on its back and tilting so the legs are above its head will trigger the Moro reflex (the baby extends its arms in an embrace).  Normal babies will lose this reflex by six months of age.  Babies with cerebral palsy will retain the Moro reflex for a longer period of time though.

Babies in their first twelve months usually do not show hand preference.  Infants with spastic hematologic on the other hand do.  They develop a preference since one hand is stronger than the other. 

Finding out that a child has cerebral palsy would be, in my opinion, very shocking for the family involved.  But finding out early may be the key to getting the proper assistance that the child needs.