When Is Cerebral Palsy Diagnosed?

When is cerebral palsy diagnosed? Typically, cerebral palsy is diagnosed within the first couple of years of life, though it may be longer in less severe cases. 

If you feel that your child’s CP was caused by physician negligence and birth injury, you may need the support of an Arizona cerebral palsy lawyer.

Risk Factors of Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral Palsy (CP) diagnoses often follow birth complications that your physician may or may not be expected to have anticipated or quickly corrected.

These are most often complications or types of birth injury that lead to oxygen deprivation or birth asphyxia in your baby. A birth injury type lawyer can help with some of the following complications that may cause CP:

• Prolonged shoulder dystocia
• Postpartum Hemorrhage
• Nuchal cord
• Umbilical prolapse
• Placental abruption 
• Uterine rupture
• Infant brain hemorrhage

These situations are not guaranteed to cause CP in your baby, but they are risk factors to consider if you have concerns about your child’s development.

Your doctors will likely notify you of an increased risk if you have encountered these complications. If your physician quickly identifies and resolves the issue, your child may not face additional risk. 

Early Warning Signs of Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral Palsy isn’t something you can diagnose at birth, and there is no specific test to give a definitive diagnosis. Therefore, much of the diagnosis is simply watching for a collection of symptoms that may take months or years to fully present and ruling out other possible causes.

However, some of the early indicators may show up as developmental delays, and identifying these first signs is a significant part of when cerebral palsy is diagnosed and treated.  

Muscle weakness is a hallmark of CP and can affect any part of the musculoskeletal system.  Commonly affected areas include muscle tone in babies and infants, suckling and swallowing, and GI problems.

These symptoms may lead to a generally fussy and unhappy baby, and though they are not a direct indicator of CP, they are something to discuss with your child’s pediatrician.

Gross Motor Delays

One of the first things you may notice in your child if they have CP is poor muscle tone. They may take longer to meet gross motor skills, like holding their head up, rolling over, or sitting up.

Apparent problems with movement are often evident by your nine-month well-baby appointment when screening for Cerebral Palsy.

Feeding 

In your newborn or infant, signs of CP may present in your baby’s ability to feed. They may have a weak sucking reflex and trouble swallowing, leaving them more susceptible to aspirating while eating. This difficulty may also lead to trouble with weight gain as a newborn and malnourishment as they age.

Digestion

If your baby experiences muscle weakness, this may affect their ability to completely or appropriately digest their food. Noticing gastrointestinal manifestations in children with cerebral palsy is not uncommon and may present as irregular bowel movements, constipation, or extreme gassiness. 

If your child is ineffectively digesting their food, this may also contribute to issues with malnourishment.

Seeking a Cerebral Palsy Diagnosis

Cerebral Palsy is not often a diagnosis that catches families entirely off guard when their child is diagnosed. If your child has increased risk factors for CP, you are likely looking for the above symptoms to ensure a quick diagnosis. The CDC states that early diagnoses and interventions can improve your child’s quality of life. 

Once you know your child is at increased risk of CP, your steps to diagnosis are clear communication with your child’s pediatrician and diligent attendance at well-child visits and milestone checkups. You may also choose to take photos or videos of concerning behaviors to share with your child’s pediatrician. 

The primary method of diagnosis for Cerebral Palsy includes developmental and motor skill evaluations. Additionally, many of the symptoms of CP may also indicate other problems, so your child’s doctor may choose to run some imaging scans to rule out other potentially treatable movement or seizure disorders. They may also perform lab tests to identify metabolic issues that could cause the same or similar symptoms. 

Factors еhat May Delay Your Child’s Cerebral Palsy Diagnosis

While the average window for your child to be diagnosed with CP is in the early years, several things may cause a delay in when your child’s Cerebral Palsy is diagnosed.

One of the more common reasons for the delay is when your child’s symptoms are mild. Mild symptoms may be difficult to differentiate from standard developmental variations, requiring an extended observation period to identify the problem. 

For example, if your child has minor symptoms that mainly affect speech and fine motor skills, you may be aware that they are slightly behind on some milestones.

However, it may not become evident there is a problem until they consistently struggle with speech and language. These initial evaluations, along with determined risk factors, may prompt your child’s provider to examine a CP diagnosis. 

Contact a Nationally Recognized Cerebral Palsy Lawyer Today 

Cerebral Palsy is often a preventable diagnosis that can have lasting and debilitating consequences for your child. If you have received a Cerebral Palsy diagnosis and you or your child sustained a birth injury, you may be eligible for compensation to support your child’s additional needs.

At the Birth Injury Lawyers Group, we have experienced birth injury lawyers who are familiar with the unique needs of children with Cerebral Palsy and the negligent actions that may lead to it. 

Our firm understands firsthand how traumatizing birth injuries can be for a family. If your child’s Cerebral Palsy was caused by substandard medical care, the physician should be held accountable, and your child should get the support they deserve. 

Call us today for a free case consultation to discuss your situation, and consider looking through our birth injury caregiver guide for additional information and support.