Cerebral palsy in young children: bridging the global data gap

Cerebral palsy is a group of early-onset lifelong neurodevelopmental conditions characterised by limitations in activity due to impaired development of movement and posture, manifesting as spasticity, dystonia, choreoathetosis, and ataxia.1 Comorbidities can include intellectual disability; epilepsy; musculoskeletal deformities; sleep, behavioural, and learning disorders; sensory impairments; and pain. Cerebral palsy is one of the most common childhood-onset developmental motor disorders globally, with birth or period prevalence ranging from approximately 1·6 cases per 1000 population in high-income countries to four cases per 1000 population in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs).