Signs and symptoms of cerebral palsy can vary greatly from person to person. Cerebral palsy can affect the whole body, or it might be limited primarily to one or two limbs, or one side of the body. Generally, signs and symptoms include problems with movement and coordination, speech and eating, development, and other problems. Movement and coordination  Stiff muscles and exaggerated reflexes (spasticity), the most common movement disorder Variations in muscle tone, such as being either too stiff or too floppy Stiff muscles with normal reflexes (rigidity) Lack of balance and muscle coordination (ataxia) Tremors or jerky involuntary movements Slow, writhing movements Favoring one side of the body, such as only reaching with one hand or dragging a leg while crawling Difficulty walking, such as walking on toes, a crouched gait, a scissors-like gait with knees crossing, a wide gait or an asymmetrical gait Difficulty with fine motor skills, such as buttoning clothes or picking up utensils  Speech and eating  Delays in speech development Difficulty speaking Difficulty with sucking, chewing or eating Excessive drooling or problems with swallowing  Development  Delays in reaching motor skills milestones, such as sitting up or crawling Learning difficulties Intellectual disabilities Delayed growth, resulting in smaller size than would be expected  Other problems Damage to the brain can contribute to other neurological problems, such as:  Seizures (epilepsy) Difficulty hearing Problems with vision and abnormal eye movements Abnormal touch or pain sensations Bladder and bowel problems, including constipation and urinary incontinence Mental health conditions, such as emotional disorders and behavioral problems  The brain disorder causing cerebral palsy doesn't change with time, so the symptoms usually don't worsen with age. However, as the child gets older, some symptoms might become more or less apparent. And muscle shortening and muscle rigidity can worsen if not treated aggressively.
signs symptoms cerebral palsy can vary greatly person person  cerebral palsy can affect whole body  limited primarily limbs  side body  generally  signs symptoms include problems movement coordination  speech eating  development  problems  movement coordination  stiff muscles exaggerated reflexes (spasticity)  common movement disorder variations muscle tone  being stiff floppy stiff muscles normal reflexes (rigidity) lack balance muscle coordination (ataxia) tremors jerky involuntary movements slow  writhing movements favoring side body  only reaching hand dragging leg crawling difficulty walking  walking toes  crouched gait  scissors-like gait knees crossing  wide gait asymmetrical gait difficulty fine motor skills  buttoning clothes picking utensils  speech eating  delays speech development difficulty speaking difficulty sucking  chewing eating excessive drooling problems swallowing  development  delays reaching motor skills milestones  sitting crawling learning difficulties intellectual disabilities delayed growth  resulting smaller size expected  problems damage brain can contribute neurological problems  as:  seizures (epilepsy) difficulty hearing problems vision abnormal eye movements abnormal touch pain sensations bladder bowel problems  including constipation urinary incontinence mental health conditions  emotional disorders behavioral problems  brain disorder causing cerebral palsy doesn't change time  symptoms don't worsen age  however  child older  symptoms apparent  muscle shortening muscle rigidity can worsen treated aggressively
cerebral palsy