Motor delay: cerebral palsy

Park, Ho Jin

Abstract

Motor delay, when present, is usually the first concern brought by the parents of children with developmental delay. Cerebral palsy that is the most common motor delay, is a nonspecific, descriptive term pertaining to disordered motor function that is evident in early infancy and is characterized by changes in muscle tone, muscle weakness, involuntary movements, ataxia, or a combination of these abnormalities. A wide range of causative disorders and risk factors have been identified for cerebral palsy, and broadly classified into 5 groups; perinatal brain injury, brain injury related to prematurity, developmental abnormalities, prenatal risk factors, and postnatal brain injury. Delay in attaining developmental milestones is the most distinctive presenting complaint in children with cerebral palsy. A detailed history and thorough physical and neurologic examinations are crucial in the diagnostic process. The clinician should be cautious about diagnostic pronouncement unless the findings are unequivocal. Several serial examinations and history review are necessary. All children with cerebral palsy should undergo a neuroimaging study, preferably MRI, because an abnormality is documented on head MRI(89%) and CT(77%). The high incidence rates for mental retardation, epilepsy, ophthalmologic defects, speech and language disorders and hearing impairment make it imperative that all children with cerebral palsy be screened for mental retardation, ophthalmologic and hearing impairments, and speech and language disorders; nutrition, growth, and swallowing also should be closely monitored.