Receiving a diagnosis of cerebral palsy can be confusing, scary, and stressful for parents and families. It’s a time when confusion and uncertainty set in as an unpredictable future is in sight. Reactions can be intense; relationships can strain as parents and families try to understand their diagnosis and how to cope with it.

Beginning this journey is hard – support and help is available in several ways. The right support from family, friends, peers and professionals can help you stay focused and determined to be your best for you and your child. It’s important to remember that many children and adults with cerebral palsy live rich and rewarding lives.  

As early as three months of age, a doctor might diagnose cerebral palsy. Usually, however, the baby is older. Only 25 per cent of infants under six months are diagnosed (1) and the average age of diagnosis is between 12 and 24 months.  

Parents might have travelled very different paths to an official diagnosis. Some babies might have been very premature or had a traumatic birth. These babies are more likely to have been carefully monitored or to have had an early MRI scan (magnetic resonance imagining). This sort of scan can show a brain injury. Parents who are aware of a brain injury are on high alert for early signs of cerebral palsy.  

However, most children with cerebral palsy are not born prematurely. Most are born at full term and it is not until they do not meet the usual infant milestones that any form of disability is considered. For these parents, cerebral palsy explains concerns they have had over many months.

Cerebral palsy is an injury incurred during pregnancy or at or around the time of birth, a delay in the age for diagnosis does not increase the severity of the injury. The advantage of an early diagnosis is commencing interventions and therapies as early as possible.

It is often difficult for a doctor to say how cerebral palsy will affect your child. An MRI might show an injury to the brain, but for babies and toddlers it is usually too soon to predict the impact. Parents have so many questions at this time — ‘will my baby walk, talk, see, run, drive?’ The frustrating truth is that doctors usually cannot say. ‘Wait and see’ are three words cerebral palsy parents hear a lot.

Your child may undergo a General Movements Assessment which can be conducted from birth until 5 months of age. It is a strong predictor of cerebral palsy, particularly when certain changes to the brain are seen on an MRI. The non-invasive assessment takes around 3-5 minutes and is used to identify any absent or abnormal general movements your child may have.

A General Movements Assessment cannot predict the severity of cerebral palsy, but it can suggest that a baby is at risk of cerebral palsy, and intervention can then start as early as possible.

This period of initial diagnosis can be a frustrating and worrying time for you as a parent, but your child (and you!) will have a team of experts around them during this time. Ideally, children with cerebral palsy, or those identified ‘at risk of cerebral palsy’ will be cared for by a multidisciplinary team that could include:

• a GP
• specialists such as a pediatrician, a neurologist, a surgeon or others.
• an occupational therapist who can help your child with developing play and fine motor skills.
• a physiotherapist to help with skills such as crawling and walking, as well as improving balance and muscle strength.
• a speech pathologist who helps with feeding, speech and language development and can treat speech problems.
• a child psychologist, who can monitor overall development and manage behavioural or emotional problems.
• an audiologist, who can assess and advise on your child’s hearing.
• a special education teacher, who can help deliver an early intervention program and support your child in pre-school and school.

These people will be your team. They will be there to answer the questions that can be answered, and to help you and your child get started on the best therapies possible. The first two years of a baby’s life is an important time for their development. It is when their brain is most able to change, and most receptive to intervention and therapies.

Your team will work with you to develop a plan for support. They’ll help you set up the best environment at home, including equipment, and set programs for your child’s continued development.

In the below section you will find more information regarding the process for assessment and diagnosis.

For further information, visit our resource on cerebral palsy diagnosis in children 7-17 years. 

Provided and produced courtesy of Cerebral Palsy Alliance at www.cerebralpalsy.org.au