There is no single cause of cerebral palsy. For most babies born with cerebral palsy, the cause remains unknown. We now know from research that there are certain risk factors for cerebral palsy. Risk factors may occur during a woman’s pregnancy, as a baby is being born, or after they are born. Sometimes these risk factors cluster together to form a ‘causal pathway’. A causal pathway is complex series of events that when combined can cause or accelerate injury to the developing brain. This can lead to a diagnosis of cerebral palsy.
Babies with any of these risk factors, or groups of risk factors mentioned below, should be screened for cerebral palsy. Getting the right diagnosis early means starting the right support early.
Fully funded by CPA donors, fundraising and Medicare, the CPA Early Diagnosis Clinics aims to fast track diagnosis and enable quicker access to early interventions, family support and better outcomes for the future.
Risk factors do not cause cerebral palsy. However, the presence of some risk factors may lead to an increased chance of a child being born with cerebral palsy.
It has been identified that four groups, statistically, have a greater risk of cerebral palsy.
Genetic cerebral palsy is uncommon, approximately 1% of people with cerebral palsy will have a sibling with the condition. It is even uncommon in twins – when one twin has cerebral palsy, 90% of co-twins will not have cerebral palsy.
However small these statistics, they are enough to suggest that there might be some genetic factors involved in cerebral palsy. Researchers generally believe that a genetic disposition to certain characteristics, i.e. prematurity or heart problems, may start a chain of events (causal pathways) that can result in a child having cerebral palsy.
