How is cerebral palsy diagnosed?

Physical exam: Since infants do little more than feed & cuddle we must wait until they are a little older to begin showing abnormalities of muscle tone & difficulty acheiving motor skills before CP is suspected. I have suspected this as early as 6 months but it is often around a year before the features are evident enough to make the dx.Workup may look into look alike issues.

Physical exam: The best way to initially diagnose cerebral palsy is with a thorough history and physical exam. If needed, a brain imaging study can help detail affected areas of the brain.

Examination findings: There is no specific diagnostic test for cerebral palsy. The diagnosis is made on the basis of the findings on examination including abnormalities of muscle tone, limitation of movement at joints, and abnormality of reflexes. There may be developmental delay, speech problems and visual abnormalities accompanying the motor abnormanlities.