Transformative Strategies for Cerebral Palsy Care in Low-income countries by Integrating Early Diagnosis, Multimodal Intervention, and Community Engagement: Concerning need of the time

I am writing to shed light on the urgent need for early diagnosis and management of cerebral palsy, a prevalent and serious condition that significantly impacts the lives of individuals and families in Pakistan. Although the definition of Cerebral Palsy (CP) has been changing over time, it remains a clinical diagnosis: presence of a motor disorder causing activity limitations with evidence of nonprogressive brain damage CP is caused by abnormal development of the brain or damage to the developing brain that affects a person's ability to control their muscles.(1) Recent research has unveiled new findings regarding the importance of early diagnosis and its implications for Pakistan's healthcare system and affected individuals. Advancements in neuroimaging and assessment techniques have facilitated early diagnosis and prognostication of cerebral palsy. A systematic review(2) identifies the three tools with potent positive predictive implications to detect high risk of CP before the corrected age of 5 months old which includes neonatal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (86–89% sensitivity. After the corrected age of 5 months old, the best tools to recognize high risk of CP includes brain MRI (86–89% sensitivity). Similarly, a study in Pediatric Medicine underscores the significance of early detection of cerebral palsy through comprehensive neurodevelopmental assessments including The Prechtl Qualitative Assessment and HINE with CP detection sensitivity of 96% and specificity of 87% at 3 months of age. (3)