If In Doubt, Check It Out
Cerebral Palsy is the most common cause of lifelong disability starting in infancy. Despite this, there are often unnecessary delays in the early identification and referral of infants, which, in turn, prevents effective early intervention treatments taking place at the time when they can be the most impactful. A key reason for this is a lack of awareness of the early signs of cerebral palsy amongst the general public and some primary healthcare professionals.
There is now a substantial body of evidence showing that identification and intervention at the earliest opportunity provides the infant at risk of cerebral palsy with the best possible outcomes in terms of future progress and independence. By raising awareness in those key early signposters that highlights signs to be concerned as well as the critical importance of early intervention and ongoing intensive intervention, this could have a significant and highly beneficial impact on the life chances of young children with or at risk of cerebral palsy.
- To understand more about early motor development and the warning signs, please click here.
- To download our poster, please click here.
- To download our information leaflet for parents, please click here.
- Please help us to spread the word on social media using #cpaware
The evidence base for the warning signs are taken from the NICE Guidelines [NG62] on Cerebral Palsy in under 25s: Assessment and Management, and for typical motor development from Mary Sheridan’s From Birth to Five Years – Children’s Developmental Progress, Fourth Edition, Ajay Sharma and Helen Cockerill, Routledge, 2014. Action Cerebral Palsy is immensely grateful to our advisory board of expert clinicians, senior practitioners, public affairs specialists and parents, for their work with us in developing the key messages and resources for this campaign as well as the many trusts and foundations and individuals who have supported this campaign. We would like to thank those individuals and organisations for their help and support which has enabled Action Cerebral Palsy to undertake this campaign.
