| Cerebral palsy can be classified into four types: | | | | If tongue muscles are affected, patients may have |
| spastic, athetoid, ataxic and mixed. Spastic cerebral | | | | difficulty speaking. Athetoid cerebral palsy typically |
| palsy is the most common form, accounting for | | | | becomes worse during stress, and writhing |
| between 70 and 80 percent of all cerebral palsy | | | | movements in affected body parts disappear during |
| cases. Limb muscles are stiff and remain permanently | | | | sleep. |
| contracted. This form of cerebral palsy is further | | | | Ataxic cerebral palsy affects between five and ten |
| subdivided depending on which limbs are affected. | | | | percent of all cerebral palsy patients. This form of |
| Both legs may be affected, turning in and crossing at | | | | cerebral palsy is characterized by deficits in sense of |
| the knees. This is called spastic diplegia, characterized | | | | balance and depth perception. These result in poor |
| by the 'scissors' gait. Another type of spastic cerebral | | | | coordination, particularly with fine motor tasks, and a |
| palsy is spastic hemi paresis or weakness of muscles | | | | wide-based, awkward gait. People with ataxic cerebral |
| in one half of the body. Uncontrollable shaking or | | | | palsy may also have an intention tremor, which is a |
| tremors often accompany this type of spasticity. If the | | | | tremor that occurs when attempting a voluntary |
| tremors are severe, movement can become very | | | | movement such as picking up an object. |
| difficult. | | | | Mixed cerebral palsy affects up to 30 percent of all |
| Athetoid or dyskinetic cerebral palsy affects 10 to 20 | | | | cerebral palsy patients. In these patients, symptoms of |
| percent of all cerebral palsy patients, and is | | | | more than one of the three main types of cerebral |
| characterized by slow, writhing movements. Such | | | | palsy described above may be present. Most |
| movements are uncontrollable and usually occur in the | | | | commonly, spastic and athetoid forms of cerebral |
| hands, feet, arms and legs. Face or tongue muscles | | | | palsy coexist. |
| may also be affected, resulting in drooling or grimacing. | | | | |