Cerebral palsy (CP) is a common pediatric disorder with a prevalence of 1.8 to 4.9 per 1,000 in developed countries and up to 6.0 per 1,000 in China, which has a great impact on improving the quality of our population. In the past 20 years, although obstetrics and neonatal health care have made great progress, the incidence of cerebral palsy has not decreased significantly. Since early intervention can significantly improve the ability of the child, the diagnosis and prognosis are still the focus of work, especially the differential diagnosis. What are some of the diseases that are often associated with cerebral palsy? Motor developmental delays/disorders Motor developmental delays are divided into developmental indicators/milestones delays and global developmental delays. Local developmental delays include simple developmental delays, primary developmental delays, cognitive developmental delays, gross and fine motor delays, and recent studies suggest that sleep pattern delays should be included. A child with multiple developmental indicators under the age of 5 years is considered to have a global developmental delay. When a child is not socially responsive at 3 months of age or is unable to sit or stand at 9 months of age, cannot use fingers at 12 months of age, cannot run at 2 years of age, or cannot climb stairs at 3 years of age, then a full motor assessment is needed to determine if early intervention is needed. Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) DCD, officially listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Dictionary of Mental Disorders, 4th edition, in 1994, is a disorder characterized by deficits in motor coordination, primarily in motor timing, motor control, planning and persistence. The disorder most often occurs early in development and the deficit in motor skills cannot be explained by mental retardation nor is it caused by a disorder such as myotonic dystrophy. The child’s acquisition of motor coordination is significantly lower than the average for his or her age, such as slow and clumsy movements, and has even affected the child’s life, school and recreation. Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) ASD and pervasive developmental disorder (PDD), a group of pervasive developmental disorders characterized by communication and language disorders and behavioral abnormalities, are determined by three core symptoms, namely stereotyped interests, impaired social interaction and delayed language development. Skeletal and spinal cord disorders Because of the joint deformities and muscle ankylosis that often occur in patients with cerebral palsy, skeletal and spinal cord disorders often occur and are therefore easily confused with skeletal and spinal cord disorders. Skeletal disorders should be differentiated from developmental congenital dislocation of hip (DDH) and congenital ligamentous laxity; spinal cord disorders should be excluded from infantile poliomyelitis and lower limb paralysis left over from poliomyelitis, and spinal cord MRI should be performed if necessary to exclude spinal cord cavitation, spinal cord compression and spinal muscular atrophy. Endocrine disorders Congenital hypothyroidism (hypothyroidism) can cause motor development in children, but children with hypothyroidism often have a specific appearance and a significant decrease in serum free thyroxine levels. Autoimmune diseases Autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis syndrome, also have early abnormalities in motor development. These disorders begin in the brainstem and cerebellum and are characterized by inflammatory demyelinating lesions in the white matter of the central nervous system, often involving the periventricular white matter and the optic nerve, and are characterized by weakness, abnormal gait, asymmetrical movements on both sides, and inability to grasp accurately. Common genetic diseases Some genetic diseases, such as ankylosing muscular dystrophy, Duchenne muscular dystrophy and infantile progressive muscular dystrophy, may also have symptoms such as impaired consciousness, abnormal posture and altered muscle tone, so it is important to distinguish them from common genetic diseases, in addition to excluding motor, skeletal and spinal cord diseases.