Dr. James C. Johnston is a board-certified neurologist and founder of the 501(c)(3) non-profit organization Global NeuroCare. James Johnston, MD, JD, and his colleague Mehila Zebenigus, MD serve as Directors to this NGO which is accredited by the World Health Organization and holds Special Consultative Status with United Nations ECOSOC.

1. DR. JAMES C JOHNSTON
What’s in a Name?
Cerebral Palsy
Spectrum Disorder

2. Introduction
 Dr. James C. Johnston is a board-certified neurologist and founder of the
501(c)(3) non-profit organization Global NeuroCare. James Johnston, MD, JD,
and his colleague Mehila Zebenigus, MD serve as Directors to this NGO which
is accredited by the World Health Organization and holds Special Consultative
Status with United Nations ECOSOC.
This is the highest status granted to NGOs by the United Nations. It was
granted to Global NeuroCare upon recommendation of the ECOSOC
Committee, which is comprised of 54 Member States, after a lengthy
application process that reviewed the organization's statutes, objectives,
affiliations and achievements. This status allows Dr. Johnston to serve as a
Delegate, providing expert analysis on issues related to Global NeuroCare's
experience.
One of these issues focuses on improving care for cerebral palsy which entails
advancing the training of neurologists in the least developed nations such as
Ethiopia, recruiting healthcare workers and therapists to address the profound
lack of rehabilitation facilities in these regions, and ending the use of
electronic fetal monitoring which does not lower the rate of cerebral palsy but
causes considerable harm to mothers and babies alike.

3. Cerebral Palsy Spectrum
Disorder
 In order to properly address a medical condition, there must be an accurate
definition allowing consistency in diagnosis, treatment and research. Dr.
Johnston and Dr. Zebenigus, along with prominent medical malpractice
attorney Thomas P. Sartwelle and leading medical ethicist Professor Berna
Arda have recommended changing the term “cerebral palsy” to “cerebral palsy
spectrum disorder.”
These authors have gone on record in the journal Neurology as being of the
opinion that a recent paper calling for a change to the naming convention of
cerebral palsy is the correct approach. The name change would better address
and describe all the contributing facets of the condition. The change, it’s
argued, would contribute to a better synergy between the condition and the
current body of knowledge around it, as well as aid in designing better
standards of care for those afflicted with CP. It would also open physicians to
the possibility of considering other potential causes of CP and lead to a more
accurate diagnosis thereby positively impacting future treatment.
See commentary (https://n.neurology.org/content/reader-response-cerebral-
palsy-spectrum-disorder-more-name).