Cerebral palsy and autism affect brain development. In both conditions, changes to the brain occur early in development—before, during, or shortly after birth.
However, the two conditions manifest in different ways. Cerebral palsy primarily affects a person’s body movements, coordination, and posture. By contrast, autism mainly affects communication and social interactions.
Both cerebral palsy and autism occur on a spectrum, meaning that some children are severely affected and cannot live independently, while others show only mild effects of their condition.