NDIS - Understanding Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral Palsy (CP) is a permanent neurological condition that affects movement and posture. It is the most common physical disability in childhood. In Australia the prevalence of CP has fallen from 2.5 per 1,000 live births in 1997-98 to 1.5 per 1,000 live births in 2015-16. This suggests the prevalence of Cerebral Palsy is decreasing due to advances in research and technology. Currently 1 in 700 babies are born with Cerebral Palsy each year (Cerebral Palsy Alliance 2023).

Although Cerebral Palsy is defined as a non-progressive injury to the

developing brain, its impact changes across the lifespan.

Babies and children may experience delayed motor milestones, while adolescents and adults may face ongoing challenges with mobility, pain, fatigue, participation, and musculoskeletal health (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence 2019/2024).

For many people with Cerebral Palsy, physiotherapy is a core part of support. This blog goes into more detail about what Cerebral Palsy is, how it presents, and how NDIS physiotherapy services can help children, adolescents, and adults with Cerebral Palsy in Australia.

What is Cerebral Palsy?

Cerebral Palsy, or CP, is an umbrella term for a group of disorders that affect a person’s ability to move and maintain posture. In most cases, it is caused by an injury to the developing brain during pregnancy, around the time of birth, or in the first years of life (Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne, 2025).

Cerebral Palsy is permanent, but the brain injury itself is non-progressive. That means the original injury does not continue to worsen over time. However, the way Cerebral Palsy affects the body can change as a person grows, ages, and encounters different physical demands across school, work, parenting, and community life (CPA, 2025; NICE, 2019/2024).

How Does Cerebral Palsy Present?

Cerebral Palsy can range from very mild to very complex and presents differently from person to person. It is classified by 3 main factors:

• The type of movement disorder - based on the area of the brain that is affected, which may result in spastic, ataxic or dyskinetic movement patterns. 
• The functional level of the person is classified using the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS), which classifies motor impairment on a scale of 1 – 5 based on sitting, walking and mobility needs.
• The area of the body affected, further classifies a presentation as bilateral quadriplegia, bilateral diplegia, or unilateral hemiplegia.

Common signs and symptoms of CP can include:

• Difficulty with posture, balance and coordinated movement
• Delayed milestones such as rolling, sitting, crawling or walking
• Muscle stiffness or spasticity
• Involuntary movements or fluctuating muscle tone
• Reduced strength, endurance and motor control
• Walking differences, falls, or difficulty with stairs and uneven ground
• Challenges with hand function, self-care or mobility

Cerebral Palsy also commonly occurs alongside other health and developmental needs.

The Cerebral Palsy Alliance reports that around 1 in 4 children with CP cannot talk, 1 in 4 cannot walk, 1 in 2 have an intellectual disability, and 1 in 4 have epilepsy (CPA, 2026).

Depending on the individual, CP may also affect eating, sleep, communication, vision, hearing, pain, continence, and participation in school, sport and work (CPA, 2025).

How Can Cerebral Palsy Affect Quality of Life?

Cerebral Palsy can affect quality of life in physical, emotional, social and practical ways. Mobility challenges can influence how easily someone moves around home and participates in school, work and community life. Pain, fatigue, muscle tightness, falls, poor sleep and reduced endurance can all make activities of daily living challenging.

Pain is a major concern for people living with Cerebral Palsy. Pain is often linked to factors including contractures, posture, dystonia and hip subluxation. Pain may interfere with community participation, leading to social isolation.

Where Does Physiotherapy Fit In?

Physiotherapy is a core support for many people with Cerebral Palsy. It can support people to build or maintain functional capacity, reduce secondary complications, improve movement efficiency, prescribe assistive technology and participate more fully in every day life.

Depending on the individual person, physiotherapy may help with:

• Gross motor development such as rolling, sitting, standing and walking
• Strength, endurance and physical conditioning
• Gait training and community mobility
• Balance, falls prevention and confidence
• Postural management, transfers and positioning
• Pain management and movement strategies
• Exercise programs for lifelong physical activity
• Education for parents, carers and support workers

NDIS Physiotherapy Services for People with Cerebral Palsy

The NDIS may fund physiotherapy for children and adults with Cerebral Palsy where it is considered a disability-related support and meets the scheme’s requirements. The NDIA’s current Therapy Supports guideline states that therapy supports must be evidence-based and aimed at building or maintaining skills and independence (NDIA, 2025a).

Evidence suggests that physiotherapy works best when it is specific, goal-directed, sufficiently intensive, and linked to meaningful activities (Gonzalez et al., 2023; Passos et al., 2025).

In practice, NDIS-funded physiotherapy for CP may include assessment, treatment, exercise prescription, mobility training, falls prevention, equipment advice, report writing, carer training and support for home or community-based routines, as long as these supports are linked to the participant’s goals and evidence of need (NDIA, 2025). Therapy can be funded for capacity building to develop new skills, or for maintenance when it helps slow loss of function or maintain participation (NDIA, 2025).

For children under 9, the NDIS early childhood approach may be relevant. The NDIA notes that children younger than 9 and their families can receive support through the early childhood approach, and children younger than 6 do not need a diagnosis to access some supports where there are developmental concerns (NDIA, 2025).

Good physiotherapy changes with the person. In early childhood, the focus may be on developmental milestones and family coaching. In school years, it may shift toward mobility, play, sport and school access. In adulthood, therapy often centres on maintaining function, managing pain, reducing secondary complications and supporting long-term health and independence.

Did you Know?

From ancient Greeks to the Egyptian Pharoah’s to Roman Emperors, CP has afflicted civilisations across the globe since 1580 B.C. While there is evidence in hieroglyphics of CP, it wasn’t until the fifth to the fourth century B.C. that Hippocrates first recognised and discussed the presence of brain damage in newborns, a sometimes result of premature birth, congenital infection, and prenatal stress.  

Over the centuries, CP has been a topic of medicine, art, even culture (there is a painting of a child with clubfoot and left spastic hemiparesis in the Louvre, Paris), with significant contributions more recently from William John Little, William Osler, and Sigmund Freud. This rich history, writings and recordings have allowed academics to track the evolution of Cerebral Palsy – from physical and psychological symptoms through to advancements in diagnosis and treatment including medical imaging, the use of botulinum toxin (botox), orthopaedic procedures, and more recently high intensity exercise.   

The Take Home

Cerebral Palsy is a lifelong condition, but the right supports can make a significant difference to mobility, independence, participation and quality of life. Physiotherapy is often central to that support.

Are you looking for goal-oriented therapy to assist with Cerebral Palsy? Then give us a call.

If you or your child has Cerebral Palsy and you are exploring physiotherapy through the NDIS, start with goals that matter in everyday life. Call us today to find out how we can help you achieve your goals and increase your independence! All our clients are individually assessed, and programs tailored to your specific needs. We are the only QIP Accredited Physiotherapy services in the Northern Territory and an approved NDIS provider.

References

1. American Academy for Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine. (n.d.). Early detection of cerebral palsy. https://www.aacpdm.org/publications/care-pathways/early-detection-of-cerebral-palsy
2. Cerebral Palsy Alliance. (2023). Australian Cerebral Palsy Register report 2023. https://cerebralpalsy.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/2023-ACPR-Report.pdf
3. Cerebral Palsy Alliance. (2025a). What is cerebral palsy? https://cerebralpalsy.org.au/cerebral-palsy/
4. Cerebral Palsy Alliance. (n.d.-a). How does cerebral palsy affect people? https://cerebralpalsy.org.au/cerebral-palsy/how-affect/
5. Cerebral Palsy Alliance. (n.d.-b). Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS). https://cerebralpalsy.org.au/cerebral-palsy/gross-motor-function-classification-system/
6. Dimakopoulos, R., Vakalaki, T., Spinou, A., Michopoulos, I., & Papadopoulou, M. (2024). Effectiveness of therapeutic interventions on participation in children with cerebral palsy: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Child: Care, Health and Development, 50(4), e13301. https://doi.org/10.1111/cch.13301
7. Gonzalez, N. A., Sanivarapu, R. R., Patel, P. P., Mahajan, K. S., Haddad, C. Y., Hassan, N. S., Phan, S. V., Nwosu, K., Yelamanchi, A., Irshad, M., Ladna, A. A., Manzoor, J., Kannan, T. H., Jiwani, F. M., Haq, I. U., & Jafri, S. M. A. (2023). Physical therapy interventions in children with cerebral palsy: A systematic review. Cureus, 15(8), e43084. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.43084
8. National Disability Insurance Agency. (2025a). Therapy supports. https://www.ndis.gov.au/media/8091/download?attachment=
9. National Disability Insurance Agency. (n.d.-b). The early childhood approach for children younger than 9. https://www.ndis.gov.au/understanding/families-and-carers/early-childhood-approach-children-younger-9
10. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. (2019/2024). Cerebral palsy in adults (NICE Guideline NG119). https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng119
11. Passos, A. A., Santos, F. O. A., Arida, R. M., Brogin, J. A. F., Faber, J., López-Ortiz, C., & Teixeira-Machado, L. (2025). Enhancing quality of life in individuals with cerebral palsy: A systematic review and meta-analysis of physiotherapy interventions. Disability and Rehabilitation, 47(16), 4040-4062. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2024.2443040