ABSTRACT
Cerebral palsy (CP) is a movement disorder or a deficit in motor function due to a nonprogressive insult to the central nervous system that occurs at a time when the brain is in a rapid state of development. The neurological manifestations of CP are divided into five different types and characterized by the degree of muscle tone and/or the movement disorder: spastic, dyskinetic, ataxic, mixed, and hypotonic. The etiology of CP is multifactorial. The clinical manifestations of CP are diverse and quite variable in their severity. The severity of CP is based on the ability to ambulate. Seventy-five percent of children with CP have one or more comorbidities in addition to the motor abnormalities. The pediatric neurologist is needed to help with the evaluation of why the child has CP, to interpret the findings to the parents, and to assist in the management of seizures that so frequently accompany this condition.
