Cerebral Palsy - Development Milestones

Cerebral Palsy Family Network's guide to CEREBRAL PALSY DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONES BIRTH TO 12 MONTHS Many children with cerebral palsy are diagnosed shortly after birth. Others, however, may go months or even years with no diagnosis. Without a diagnosis, valuable early therapies and treatments are delayed. OF ALL UP TO DISABILITIES IN 80% CHILDREN ARE DETECTED BY How is a concerned parent to answer the question "IS MY CHILD DEVELOPING NORMALLY?" All children develop at their own pace, but if your child exhibits the symptoms below, you should not hesitate to talk to your doctor. PARENTAL CONCERNS BASIC DEVELOPMENTAL SKILLS FINE MOTOR SKILLS SOCIAL & EMOTIONAL These skills involve the coordination of Social and emotional milestones are small muscle movements. They allow a child to hold a spoon, or pick up a piece of cereal between thumb and finger. often harder to pinpoint than signs of physical development. This area emphasizes many skills that increase self-awareness and self-regulation. GROSS MOTOR SKILLS Gross motor skills enable your baby to achieve major milestones such as head control, sitting, crawling, maybe even starting to walk. SENSORY Sensory skills include seeing, hearing, tasting, touching and smelling. LANGUAGE This skill involves muscle strength in the mouth and tongue to control sounds and process sounds. CEREBRAL PALSY is caused by a problem in the brain that affects a child's ability to control his or her muscles. Problems in different parts of the brain cause problems in different parts of the body. A child who lacks basic motor skills will have difficulty reaching subsequent milestones without help. SIGNS OF CEREBRAL PALSY IN INFANTS UP TO 12 MONTHS 2 MONTHS AND OLDER 6 MONTHS AND OLDER Has difficulty controlling head when picked up Has stiff or Continues to exhibit poor head control May reach with only one hand while keeping the other in a fist shaky arms or legs when picked up Has stiff legs that cross or "scissor" when picked up Has problems sucking and feeding Has problems eating and drinking May not roll over without assistance 10 MONTHS AND OLDER 12 MONTHS AND OLDER Doesn't crawl or attempt to pull himself or herself up Isn't able to stand with support Crawls by pushing off with one hand and leg while dragging the opposite hand and leg Doesn't babble Doesn't respond to own name Doesn't search for things that they O P see you hide Doesn't say single words like "mama" or "dada" Isn't able to sit by himself or herself DEVELOPMENTAL DELAYS MAY OR MAY NOT INDICATE CEREBRAL PALSY. YOUR CHILD'S DOCTOR CAN MAKE A PROPER DIAGNOSIS AND DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT MEDICAL INTERVENTION IS NECESSARY. RESOURCES WHEN IT COMES TO National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/milestones/index.html YOUR CHILD The American Academy of Pediatrics offers a parenting website, healthychildren.org: Ages & Stages: www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/pages/Developmental-Milestones-1-Month.aspx National Library of Medicine, National Institute of Health, Medline Plus, Infant and Newborn Development www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/infantandnewborndevelopment.html TRUST March of Dimes, Your Growing Baby www.marchofdimes.com/baby/growing_indepth.html Center for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, Child Development www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/child/ YOUR GUT CPFamilyNetwork For articles, resource guides or stories about Cerebral Palsy, please visit CPFamilyNetwork.org Legal and Medical Resources to Empower Cerebral Palsy Families