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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staffCerebral palsy is a disorder of movement, muscle tone or posture that is caused by an insult to the immature, developing brain, most often before birth.
Signs and symptoms appear during infancy or preschool years. In general, cerebral palsy causes impaired movement associated with exaggerated reflexes, floppiness or rigidity of the limbs and trunk, abnormal posture, involuntary movements, unsteadiness of walking, or some combination of these.
People with cerebral palsy may have difficulty with swallowing and commonly have eye muscle imbalance. People with cerebral palsy may have reduced range of motion at various joints of their bodies due to muscle stiffness.
The effect of cerebral palsy on functional abilities varies greatly. Some people are able to walk while others aren't able to walk. Some people show normal to near normal intellectual function, but others may have intellectual disabilities. Epilepsy, blindness or deafness also may be present.
People with cerebral palsy often have underlying developmental brain abnormalities.
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- Rubella: Make sure your child gets vaccinated. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/Features/Rubella/. Accessed May 23, 2013.
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- Cytomegalovirus (CMV) and congenital CMV infection: Pregnancy. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/cmv/risk/preg-women.html. Accessed May 23, 2013.
- Parasites: Toxoplasmosis (toxoplasma infection). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/toxoplasmosis/. Accessed May 23, 2013.
- Syphilis: CDC fact sheet. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/std/syphilis/STDFact-Syphilis.htm. Accessed May 23, 2013.
- Meningitis. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/meningitis/index.html. Accessed May 23, 2013.
- Neurological diagnostic tests and procedures. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/misc/diagnostic_tests.htm. Accessed May 24, 2013.
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