A 14-year-old with cerebral palsy who is nonambulatory but uses a wheelchair and can perform self-care tasks best fits which CP subtype?

A 14-year-old with cerebral palsy who is nonambulatory but uses a wheelchair and can perform self-care tasks best fits which CP subtype?

• A. Spastic diplegia
• B. Spastic quadriplegia
• C. Athetoid cerebral palsy
• D. Spastic hemiplegia

Answer: (A)

The pattern being tested is how cerebral palsy types are described by which parts of the body are most affected. Spastic diplegia means the legs are more involved than the arms, with stiffness and spasticity primarily in the lower limbs while upper-extremity function is relatively preserved. That aligns with a teen who uses a wheelchair for mobility because the leg involvement limits walking, yet he can still perform self-care tasks because his arms and hands remain capable. In contrast, spastic quadriplegia would involve all four limbs (and often the trunk) with more widespread dysfunction, making self-care and mobility severely limited. Athetoid cerebral palsy features prominent involuntary movements and fluctuating tone, not a leg-dominant pattern. Spastic hemiplegia affects one side of the body and often allows some walking with asymmetry, not a primarily wheelchair-dependent profile with preserved self-care. So, the best fit is spastic diplegia because the distribution of motor impairment matches leg-d predominant involvement with preserved upper-extremity function.

The pattern being tested is how cerebral palsy types are described by which parts of the body are most affected. Spastic diplegia means the legs are more involved than the arms, with stiffness and spasticity primarily in the lower limbs while upper-extremity function is relatively preserved. That aligns with a teen who uses a wheelchair for mobility because the leg involvement limits walking, yet he can still perform self-care tasks because his arms and hands remain capable.

In contrast, spastic quadriplegia would involve all four limbs (and often the trunk) with more widespread dysfunction, making self-care and mobility severely limited. Athetoid cerebral palsy features prominent involuntary movements and fluctuating tone, not a leg-dominant pattern. Spastic hemiplegia affects one side of the body and often allows some walking with asymmetry, not a primarily wheelchair-dependent profile with preserved self-care.

So, the best fit is spastic diplegia because the distribution of motor impairment matches leg-d predominant involvement with preserved upper-extremity function.