Cerebral Palsy: is it the right term to use? A contribution

Cerebral Palsy is one of the most common motor disorders in children, affecting around 2.1 in every 1,000 live births. It is a set of permanent disorders that affect movement and posture, causing limitations in children's activities, as well as sensory, cognitive, communication, behavioural and epileptic alterations. In this context, is the term ‘Cerebral Palsy’ currently the most correct term to use? To answer this question, we carried out a systematic literature review, using the keywords ‘Cerebral Palsy’ and ‘History’ and considering papers published between 2000 and 2024 in the B-on and Google Scholar search engines and the Science Direct, PubMed, ERIC, WOS and SCOPUS databases. We searched for the different concepts used in the term ‘Cerebral Palsy’ and its evolution over time. All the information compiled from these papers was organised and studied using content analysis supported by webQDA software. As a contribution, we present an updated historical reference analysis of the evolution of the concept of Cerebral Palsy over time. We found that this concept has a wide variety of forms of presentation, aetiologies, trajectories, comorbidities, treatment approaches and outcomes, all of which must be considered when making a diagnosis and subsequent multidisciplinary approach. Due to this variety, some authors, for example, suggest incorporating the term ‘SPECTRUM’ into the concept of Cerebral Palsy, others use the term ‘Cerebral Palsies’ in the plural due to the diversity of situations. After this review, we considered it important to maintain the concept of Cerebral Palsy due to the identity generated in the population with this condition.