Making early cerebral palsy screening more accessible

The challenge

Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common childhood-onset physical disability, affecting around 1 in 700 children born in Australia. Early diagnosis is critical, as the first months of life are a crucial period for brain development, and early intervention can improve long-term outcomes for children with CP.

Despite reliable screening tools being available, only around 30% of infants who will go on to receive a CP diagnosis are currently screened. This means many children miss the opportunity for early identification and intervention.

The General Movements Assessment (GMA) is a reliable tool for identifying babies who may be at higher risk of CP. However, limited numbers of trained assessors make it difficult to offer screening more widely. The Early General Movements Screening Feasibility Pilot is testing whether training additional assessors can help expand access to screening.

“Families should not need luck, persistence or privilege to find answers. A national screening system would help ensure they no longer do.”‍

Parent partner involved in the project

The research

Led by Cerebral Palsy Alliance researchers Dr Catherine Morgan, Dr Cathryn Crowle and Dr Michelle Jackman, the pilot is investigating whether newly trained assessors can complete the GMA as accurately as experienced assessors. Families are invited to record videos of their babies using the Baby Moves smartphone app, which are assessed by both newly trained and experienced assessors. Early results are encouraging, with 89% agreement between assessors, showing the potential of trained assessors to help expand access to early CP screening.

Early impact

Funding from Hearts & Minds has enabled a dedicated project coordinator and research nurses at participating hospitals to manage the study, engage families, and support infant screening across each site. This has helped ensure the pilot can be delivered effectively and families are supported throughout the screening process.

Already, 5 of the 142 babies who would not otherwise have received general movements screening have been identified as requiring follow-up, highlighting the benefit of expanding access to earlier screening.

The pilot has also helped secure additional government funding to advance universal screening using machine learning, with data from this study contributing to future research. If successful, this research could pave the way for universal CP screening across Australia, enabling more babies to receive earlier diagnosis, earlier intervention, and better long-term outcomes.

Funding support from Hearts & Minds. This content was last updated in July 2026. For further information, visit Cerebral Palsy Alliance.