What are the signs and symptoms of Cerebral Palsy?

A: The signs and symptoms of Cerebral Palsy range from barely perceptible to obvious, and include the following:

• 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