Forms of Cerebral Palsy: atheloid, ataxic, mixed, and spastic.
Cerebral palsy is a motor disorder that typically appears in children before the age of three.  The condition is generally believed to be caused by damage or trauma to the brain before it is has fully developed.  “Cerebral” refers to the two halves or hemispheres of the brain.  “Palsy” describes any disorder that impairs control of body movement.  In cerebral palsy, the areas of the brain affected are those associated with the motor systems, which control movement.  The motor areas of the brain have either been damaged or there has been a flaw in their development that disrupts the brain’s ability to control movement and posture, producing poor coordination, poor balance, or abnormal movement patterns.  The difficulties of a child with cerebral palsy are not caused by problems with the muscles or nerves. 
Cerebral palsy cannot be cured.  It is a nonprogressive disorder, meaning that it will not get worse over time.  However, early diagnosis and treatment can often improve a child’s capabilities.

Children with cerebral palsy may also have other medical disorders and challenges, such as epilepsy, mental retardation, growth problems, and impaired hearing and vision.

There are four types of cerebral palsies:  Spastic (70-80 percent), which is characterized by muscles that are stiffly and permanently contracted; Athetoid (10-20 percent), which is characterized by uncontrolled, writhing, slow movements; Ataxic (5-10 percent), which affects depth perception and the sense of balance; and Mixed, which is a mixture of forms, most commonly spastic and athetoid.

Depending upon which muscle groups are affected, the cerebral palsies may also be classified as monoplegic, triplegic, or quadriplegic, for one, three or four limbs respectively; diplegic, usually referring to both legs being affected; and hemiplegic, for one side of the body.  Occasionally, the term pentaplegia is used for those children who also have significant difficulty with motor control of the face or head. Another term, total body involvement, is used when there is difficulty in motor control in all four limbs plus head, neck, and face.  The use of the terms can vary from institution to institution, but those mentioned here are commonly used.

The word for the dominant type of movement or muscle coordination problem is often combined with the word for the component that seems most problematic for the child.  The result is a more specific descriptive term.  For example, the child with spastic diplegia has mostly spastic muscle problems, and his legs are mainly affected, although he may also have athetosis and balance problems.  The child with athetoid quadriplegia has involvement of both arms and legs, primarily with athetoid muscle problems, but he or she often also has some ataxia and spasticity.

Parents are frequently the first to suspect that their infant does not seem to be reaching developmental milestones for motor skills within the normal range. The infant is slow in learning to smile, roll over, reach for objects, crawl, or walk.  The infant may seem unusually "floppy" (hypotonic).  A parent who has these concerns should contact a physician, who can better assess whether or not the infant is exhibiting developmental delay.

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Forms of Cerebral Palsy: atheloid, ataxic, mixed, and spastic.