Awareness of Students with Diverse Learning Needs,
What the Teacher Needs to Know, Volume 1

Recognizing the Child with Cerebral Palsy

Except in rare cases, such as an accident resulting in brain injuries, an individual with cerebral palsy will have any or all of these indications from birth.

• Spasmodic, uncontrolled or jerky movements of the limbs, head or face or rigid, postured limbs.
• Contracted muscles. May not be able to get the foot flat, with heels down, when standing or walking.
• Difficulty in speaking, swallowing and/or chewing.
• Inconsistent and uneven attention span.
• Deficiencies in reading skills and language comprehension.
• Spells of staring.
• Speech impairment which makes understanding difficult.
• Some hearing loss which may result in delayed language development.
• Impairment of vision and perception. Students with this difficulty may not be aware that what they are seeing is any different from what others see.