70

This retrospective study concerns 64 children suspected of developing spastic diplegia during their first year of life. Of these 64, at 3 years old, 31 contracted spastic diplegia and 33 had a normal walking ability. The objectives of this study are: to compare these two populations to determine the risk factors of children who developed spastic diplegia; to determine the differences between those with spastic diplegia treated early and those treated later. The results show that: the severity of cranial ultrasound findings and the moment they begin receiving treatment largely determine the evolution toward spastic diplegia. The children with spastic diplegia treated early present severe neurological abnormalities. The forms that are treated later are less serious. They correspond to a process that occurs gradually via a combination of brain injury and environmental factors. In this group, early treatment is very effective. Spastic diplegia is a model for the study of early development and its disorders.