What Are Some Signs of Cerebral Palsy?

Cerebral palsy is a potentially serious disorder that children can suffer from when they do not get enough oxygen during the delivery process. This can happen for a lot of different reasons, including doctor error. When the supply gets cut off at such a critical time in a child’s development, the ramifications can last for life.

However, you may not know that your child even has cerebral palsy right away. Since it’s a developmental disorder, the signs and symptoms show up over time. What should you watch out for? A few potential symptoms include:

• Trouble eating. For a very young baby that is breastfeeding, this could mean trouble sucking.

• Only using one side — one arm or one leg, for instance — or significantly favoring that side.

• Suffering from notable involuntary movements, such as tremors.

• Stiffness. This can mean stiffness in muscle tone or an inability to move part of his or her body.

• Developmental delays. When the child is expected to have learned things like speech, they’ll lag behind their peers.

• Trouble walking. The child may have an abnormal gait or walk on their toes.

• Problems with coordination. This could be related to the other issues listed above.

As you can imagine, it’s often hard to pin these things down immediately. A child could appear to be developing normally, only to have speech problems or issues walking show up years down the line. Parents need to know what symptoms to keep an eye out for as the child grows up.

If you do think that your child has cerebral palsy because of a mistake that a doctor made, you may be able to seek financial compensation.