title: Cerebral palsy diagnosis in children over age 1 year: standard criteria.
abstract: Cerebral palsy is a nonprogressive disorder of movement and posture that often has nonmotor findings associated with it. However, a specific number of clinical motor findings is required to make the diagnosis. These clinical motor abnormalities can be grouped into 6 Major Motor Categories: (1) Postures and Movement Patterns; (2) Oral Motor Patterns; (3) Strabismus; (4) Tone of Muscles; (5) Evolution of Postural Reactions and Landmarks; and (6) Deep Tendon, Infantile and Plantar Reflexes. In this retrospective chart study of 60 children with handicaps over age 1 year, a child with abnormalities in 4 or more of these Major Motor Categories is likely to have been given the diagnosis of cerebral palsy. A child with abnormalities in less than 4 Major Motor Categories was unlikely to have the diagnosis of cerebral palsy. The distinction between the 2 groups was significant at the 0.0001 level. This suggests that once progressive diseases and syndromes with a cerebral palsylike motor component are excluded, a child with abnormalities in 4 or more Major Motor Categories may be classified as having cerebral palsy.
mesh_terms: D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000502:physiology; D009068:Movement; D009129:Muscle Tonus; D011187:Posture; D012021:Reflex, Abnormal / Q000175:diagnosis; D012026:Reflex, Stretch; D013285:Strabismus / Q000175:diagnosis; D014705:Verbal Behavior / Q000502:physiology