What percentage of cerebral palsy patients have mental retardation?
According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, approximately two-thirds of patients with CP have some mental impairment. Mental retardation can range from mild to severe. People with the spastic quadriplegia are more likely to have mental disabilities than those with other forms of CP. CP patients with epilepsy are also more likely to have mental retardation. Because of communication difficulties it is sometimes difficult to accurately assess the IQs of CP patients. Learning disabilities without mental retardation are also associated with cerebral palsy. The speech, hearing, and vision problems which sometimes accompany CP can make learning difficult. Many CP patients have normal IQs and no learning disabilities. A few CP patients are intellectually gifted.
