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	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Cerebral palsy is a term that describes nonprogressive but sometimes changing disorders of movement and posture. These movement problems are due to problems in brain function that occur early in development. Cerebral palsy affects motion, muscle strength, balance, and coordination. These problems are first noted in infancy and continue into adult life. The muscles of speech, swallowing, and breathing may be involved. Intellectual disabilities (mental retardation) and seizures can also occur, but these problems are not always present. The October 4, 2006, issue of JAMA includes an article about cerebral palsy. This Patient Page is based on one previously published in the November 26, 2003, issue of JAMA.

TYPES OF CEREBRAL PALSY

• Spastic—muscles of the body are stiff and tight and do not allow normal movement
  
• Dyskinetic (athetoid)—muscles stiffen when activated to cause abnormal postures of the arms or legs; may also have writhing movements
  
• Ataxic—balance and coordination are . . . [Full Text of this Article]

RELATED ARTICLE

Clinical and MRI Correlates of Cerebral Palsy: The European Cerebral Palsy Study
Martin Bax, Clare Tydeman, and Olof Flodmark
JAMA. 2006;296(13):1602-1608.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT