Cerebral palsy is a condition that many parents have probably heard of. However, many parents lack the necessary knowledge about cerebral palsy and may have misunderstandings about the abnormalities of the child, which may result in the child’s condition not being diagnosed early and treated in time, leaving a regrettable lifelong disability. In fact, as long as pediatric cerebral palsy is diagnosed and treated early, the child will have a better prognosis. Therefore, it is best for young parents to know more about pediatric cerebral palsy. Causes of pediatric cerebral palsy The most common causes of pediatric cerebral palsy are such as premature birth, difficult birth, hyperthermia, cerebral ischemia, cerebral hypoxia, cranial injury, and brain infection. The disease is caused by damage to the brain parenchyma due to a variety of causes and develops into paralysis with non-progressive, central motor dysfunction. In severe cases, children with cerebral palsy may have mental deficiency, epilepsy, limb twitching and visual, auditory and language dysfunction. Characteristics of children with cerebral palsy Children with cerebral palsy are behind in motor development and cannot complete the motor development process expected of normal children of the same age. Children with cerebral palsy cannot lift their heads after 100 days; they cannot open their hands after four months; they cannot reach out and grasp things after five months; they cannot sit after eight months; they cannot crawl after ten months; and they cannot walk after one and a half years. Children with cerebral palsy have abnormal body posture, poor postural stability, twisted posture during movement or at rest, and asymmetry between the left and right sides. Some children with severe cerebral palsy do not have their heads in a vertical and central position like normal children, but are used to swaying to one side or back and forth from side to side. Most children with cerebral palsy may have varying degrees of language impairment, some with difficulty expressing themselves, some with slurred speech or stuttering, and some with aphasia. Some children with mild cerebral palsy may have basic or nearly normal growth and development, but most children with cerebral palsy are shorter than normal children of the same age and appear to lag behind in growth and development. Most children with cerebral palsy have poorly developed teeth, which are loose and easily decayed, and have a higher incidence of various dental diseases than normal children. Some children with cerebral palsy have significant spasms or uncoordinated contractions of the facial muscles and tongue muscles. This results in difficulty in chewing and swallowing, difficulty in closing the mouth and drooling.