Cerebral palsy is generally diagnosed one of four ways. This is often based on the observed symptoms:
Spastic cerebral palsy: Characterized by stiff muscles, increased muscle tone, and spastic movements; there are three sub-categories of spastic CP that can vary in severity.
Dyskinetic/Athetoid cerebral palsy: Characterized by uncontrollable movements of hands, arms, feet, legs, and sometimes the face and tongue. This can result in writhing, or jerky or rigid movements, with muscle tone that can change day-by-day, throughout the day.
Ataxica cerebral palsy: Characterized by poor balance and coordination that can result in unsteadiness and uncontrollable movements of the hands, feet, arms, and legs.
Mixed cerebral palsy: Mixed cerebral palsy can involve symptoms from more than one type of CP, with the most common combination being spastic-dyskinetic CP
Infants and young children without CP may also experience some of these signs and symptoms. If you are concerned your child has CP, it is best to consult a pediatrician who can evaluate your child for the condition and provide a diagnosis as applicable.