Diagnostic Criteria for Cerebral Palsy

Core Definition and Diagnostic Criteria

The American Academy of Pediatrics defines cerebral palsy as a group of permanent disorders of the development of movement and posture, causing activity limitation, attributed to non-progressive disturbances that occurred in the developing fetal or infant brain 3, 4

Motor dysfunction must be present, characterized by reduced quality of movement, neurologically abnormal movements, or motor activities substantially below chronological age expectations, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics 1, 2, 5

Abnormal neuroimaging, such as white matter injury, cortical and deep gray matter lesions, or brain maldevelopments, can be predictive of cerebral palsy, as recommended by the American Academy of Neurology 2, 6
Clinical history indicating risk for cerebral palsy, including preconception risks, pregnancy risks, and birth defects, should be considered in the diagnosis, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists 2, 6

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that infants with high-risk indicators identifiable in the newborn period should undergo standardized assessments, such as term-age MRI, Prechtl Qualitative Assessment of General Movements, and Hammersmith Infant Neurological Examination, before 5 months corrected age 1, 3, 6, 7
For infants over 5 months corrected age, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends using MRI, Hammersmith Infant Neurological Examination, and Developmental Assessment of Young Children to diagnose cerebral palsy 3

The American Academy of Pediatrics classifies cerebral palsy into four motor types: spasticity, dyskinesia, ataxia, and hypotonia, which may emerge and change during the first 2 years 3, 4