Mixed cerebral palsy is diagnosed when traits of which two CP forms are present?

• A. Spastic and Ataxic
• B. Spastic and Dyskinetic
• C. Dyskinetic and Ataxic
• D. Atonic and Spastic

Answer: (B)

Mixed cerebral palsy means features from more than one movement type appear in the same person. Spastic CP is marked by stiff, tight muscles and brisk reflexes due to damage to the motor pathways. Dyskinetic CP (often called athetoid) involves involuntary, writhing or twisting movements with fluctuating muscle tone due to disruption in the basal ganglia. When a person shows both the stiffness of spastic CP and the involuntary movements of dyskinetic CP, there isn’t a single dominant pattern, so clinicians classify it as mixed cerebral palsy. This combination is the typical example of a mixed type, reflecting the coexistence of these two distinct motor control problems.