Symptoms:

Injury to the largest part of the brain (cerebrum) can lead to the loss of nerve functions in different areas. Many children with this condition have increased muscle tone (spasticity). Spasticity may affect:

• One arm or leg
• One side of the body (spastic hemiplegia)
• Both legs (spastic diplegia)
• Both arms and legs (spastic quadriplegia)

Symptoms are usually seen before age 2. In severe cases, they may appear as early as 3 months.

Symptoms may include:

• Abnormal movements
• Abnormal sensations
• Abnormal muscle tone
• Decreased intelligence
• Difficulty sucking or feeding in infants
• Hearing problems
• Increased drooling
• Irregular breathing
• Learning disabilities
• Limited range of motion
• Pain
• Partial or full loss of movement (paralysis)
• Peg teeth
• Problems swallowing (at all ages)
• Seizures
• Speech problems (dysarthria)
• Urinary incontinence
• Vision problems
• Vomiting or constipation

Signs and tests:

A doctor's examination may reveal:

• Abnormal walk (gait), with a tendency to tuck the arms in toward the sides, make "scissors" movements of the legs, and walk on the toes
• Abnormal slow, writhing movements that get worse with stress and don't occur during sleep
• Delayed development of motor skills (reaching, sitting rolling, crawling, walking)
• Infant reflexes (such as sucking and startle) that continue past the age where they usually disappear
• Joint contractures
• Muscle contractions
• Muscles that do not stretch (spasticity)
• Muscle tremors
• Muscle weakness

The following tests may be performed:

• Blood tests
• CT scan of the head
• Electroencephalogram (EEG)
• Hearing screen
• MRI of the head
• Vision testing