Athetoid cerebral palsy or dyskinetic cerebral palsy is caused by damage to the cerebellum or basal ganglia responsible for processing the signals that enable smooth, coordinated movements and for typical body posture.
Damage to these areas in athetoid CP generally translates to involuntary muscle movements, especially in the face, arms, and trunk. These involuntary movements often interfere with speaking, feeding, reaching, grasping, and other skills requiring coordinated movements. Involuntary grimacing and tongue thrusting may in turn lead to swallowing problems, drooling, and slurred speech. Also, the movements increase during periods of emotional stress and disappear during sleep.
Those with athetoid cerebral palsy often have low muscle tone ("hypotonia" similar to that found in ataxic cerebral palsy and in "mixed CP" conditions, and the opposite of spastic cerebral palsy) and thus have problems maintaining posture for sitting and walking.[1]
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