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What Is Cerebral Palsy?

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Cerebral palsy is a permanent physical condition that affects movement. It can be as mild as just a weakness in one hand, ranging to an almost complete lack of movement.

Cerebral palsy, except in its mildest forms, can be seen in the first 12-18 months of life as it presents when children fail to reach movement milestones. Babies most at risk of cerebral palsy are those born prematurely or with low birth weight.

Sometimes the movements of people with cerebral palsy can be unpredictable, muscles can be stiff or tight, and in some cases people may have shaky movements or tremors. Some people may have seizures and other impairments affecting their speech, vision, hearing and/or intellect.

Key facts about cerebral palsy:

• There is no pre-birth test
• It is a permanent condition
• It is non-progressive, however can be a changing condition
• There is no known cure
• Incidence and severity are on the increase
• Worldwide more than 15 million people have cerebral palsy
• There are 33,000 people with cerebral palsy in Australia
• 3,500 of these live in Western Australia
• In Australia, a child is born with cerebral palsy every 15 hours