Guidance
This guideline covers diagnosing, assessing and managing cerebral palsy in children and young people from birth up to their 25th birthday. It aims to make sure they get the care and treatment they need for the developmental and clinical comorbidities associated with cerebral palsy, so that they can be as active and independent as possible.
NICE has also produced guidelines on spasticity in under 19s and cerebral palsy in adults.
Last reviewed: 19 September 2024
We added links to relevant technology appraisal guidance in the section on managing saliva control. This is to provide easy access to relevant guidance at the right point in the guideline only and is not a change in practice.
Next review: This guidance will be reviewed if there is new evidence that is likely to change the recommendations.
Recommendations
This guideline includes recommendations on:
- causes and recognition of cerebral palsy
- multidisciplinary care and information and support
- managing feeding and drooling problems
- support with speech, language and communication
- assessing and managing pain, discomfort, distress and sleep disturbances
- information on other comorbidities, including mental health problems
- transition to adults’ services
Who is it for?
- Healthcare professionals
- Social care professionals
- Children and young people with cerebral palsy, and their families and carers
Guideline development process
How we develop NICE guidelines
Your responsibility
The recommendations in this guideline represent the view of NICE, arrived at after careful consideration of the evidence available. When exercising their judgement, professionals and practitioners are expected to take this guideline fully into account, alongside the individual needs, preferences and values of their patients or the people using their service. It is not mandatory to apply the recommendations, and the guideline does not override the responsibility to make decisions appropriate to the circumstances of the individual, in consultation with them and their families and carers or guardian.
All problems (adverse events) related to a medicine or medical device used for treatment or in a procedure should be reported to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency using the Yellow Card Scheme.
Local commissioners and providers of healthcare have a responsibility to enable the guideline to be applied when individual professionals and people using services wish to use it. They should do so in the context of local and national priorities for funding and developing services, and in light of their duties to have due regard to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination, to advance equality of opportunity and to reduce health inequalities. Nothing in this guideline should be interpreted in a way that would be inconsistent with complying with those duties.
Commissioners and providers have a responsibility to promote an environmentally sustainable health and care system and should assess and reduce the environmental impact of implementing NICE recommendations wherever possible.