Which sign is commonly associated with cerebral palsy?

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Persistent primitive reflexes signal disrupted motor maturation in cerebral palsy. Primitive reflexes are automatic movement patterns that typically integrate as the brain matures. When brain injury or dysfunction underlies CP, those reflexes often linger beyond the ages when they should disappear, making them a common and telling sign. This persistence can interfere with voluntary movement, postural control, and coordinated reaching, reflecting the impact of early CNS involvement on motor development. While heightened reflex responses like hyperreflexia and occasional clonus can also be seen with CP due to upper motor neuron involvement, the enduring presence of primitive reflexes is a hallmark feature that clinicians look for in assessment. Progressive improvement in motor function is not characteristic of CP, which is nonprogressive, though therapies can improve function over time.