Medical History for Cerebral Palsy

The medical history is an important part of diagnosing cerebral palsy. A health professional asks parents questions about the child's development to try to establish whether he or she has significant risk factors for the disease. This includes asking details about the pregnancy.

Questions about the pregnancy

A health professional will ask questions to try to determine whether a child has risk factors for cerebral palsy related to the pregnancy. Questions for the mother may include:

• Did you have any infections, such as German measles (rubella), during pregnancy?
• Were you exposed to any harmful substances, such as strong chemicals or radiation, during pregnancy?
• Did you smoke, take any illegal drugs, drink alcohol, or take any medications (prescription or nonprescription) or herbal remedies during pregnancy?
• Did you have any problems during delivery, such as a long birth process?
• Were you aware of any infections in your birth canal at the time of delivery?

Questions about the child

The health professional will also ask parents questions about their child's birth and general health, such as:

• Was he or she born early (prematurely)?
• What was the child's birth weight?
• Were any problems noticed right after birth?
• Were there any serious illnesses or accidents before age 3?