Doctors are best able to differentiate normal variations in infant development from developmental disorders. Typically, doctors diagnose cerebral palsy in infants by testing the baby's motor skills and thoroughly analyzing its medical history. Back to Top Healthy babies typically display a variety of automatic reflex movements in response to certain stimuli. A newborn baby held on its back and tilted so its legs are above its head, for example, will automatically respond with the so-called Moro reflex, extending its arms in a gesture that looks resembles an embrace. This reflex usually disappears after about six months, except in infants with cerebral palsy, who often retain it for an abnormally long period.
Doctors also look for signs of hand preference in an infant.
Normally, if an object is held in front and to the side of the infant, the child will reach for it with either hand, displaying no particular tendency to use either the right or left hand more often, regardless of which side the object is on. This lack of preference is normal during the first 12 months of life. Infants with spastic hemiplegia, however, often develop a hand preference early, indicating one side of their body is stronger than the other. It is important for the doctor also to rule out other disorders that cause movement problems, and to determine if the child's condition is changing. A child whose motor skills continue to erode over time might be suffering from a genetic disease, disorders of the muscles or metabolism, or tumors in the nervous system, either instead of CP or in combination with it.