Doctors diagnose cerebral palsy by testing mo­tor skills and reflexes, looking into medical his­tory, and using specialized tests.

Although symptoms may change over time, cerebral palsy does not get worse over timeTherefore, if a patient shows increased im­pairment, he or she may not even have CP. CAT scans or MRI's may be done in order to look more closely at the brain and rule out other possible causes of symptoms. Symp­toms of CP that are similar to symptoms of other health conditions include brain tumors, water on the brain, and bleeding in the brain.