Babies with cerebral palsy can be detected at birth or around 1 month of age if symptoms are severe; less severe symptoms may be detected months or even a year later.
Cerebral palsy (CP) is a syndrome of non-progressive brain damage that occurs in infants from before birth to 1 month after birth, and is characterized by congenital movement disorders and postural abnormalities, including spastic bilateral paresis, bradykinesia, and other symptoms of the pyramidal and extrapyramidal systems, and may be accompanied by varying degrees of mental retardation, speech disorders, and epileptic seizures.
1. Severe cerebral palsy: When cerebral palsy is severe, babies will have symptoms such as flaccid paralysis, increased muscle strength, and difficulty in feeding, etc. These symptoms are relatively obvious and can be detected around 1 month after birth.
2. Mild cerebral palsy: In mild cerebral palsy, increased muscle strength and abnormal postures may not be obvious in the early stage. As the child grows older, his/her motor performance will lag behind that of children of the same age. For example, the motor performance of lifting up, turning over, sitting, crawling, standing and walking may lag behind that of children of the same age.
Later on, the development of the brain and nervous system may be delayed, which usually takes about 1 year after birth to be gradually detected.
If your baby is suspected to have cerebral palsy, you should take him/her to the hospital for examination, identify the cause and treat him/her as soon as possible.