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What is Cerebral Palsy |
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| Cerebral Palsy (CP) is caused by irreversible, non-progressive
damage to the developing brain, either before, during birth
or in the first few weeks after birth. This condition can be
caused by birth trauma, infection or injury either to the mother
during pregnancy or to the child afterbirth, during the early
developmental age. Besides the motor (movement) problems that
are a characteristic sign of the condition (the severity of
which depends upon the extent of brain damage), the child may
also suffer from associated problems like hearing loss, visual
problems, mental retardation, speech problems, epilepsy & psychological
problems. Although the condition is seen as non-progressive,
if left untreated, its effects compound as the child grows,
increasing the severity of the disability. |
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| What are the symptoms of cerebral pasly? |
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| The most important and early symptoms of cerebral palsy include: |
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1 |
Delay in milestones, motor and social, if the child
doesn't attain head control or doesn't roll over in time,
it may be due to cerebral palsy; please consult your pediatrician. |
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2 |
Incessant cry, which usually starts from the newborn
period. |
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3 |
Lethargy - a baby who sleeps most of the time and doesn't
bother his parents, may be having cerebral palsy. |
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4 |
Increased body stiffness - if your baby feels very heavy
and his limbs are not very supple, that would be indicative
of hypertonia which could be a sign of cerebral pasly. |
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| What should I do if my child has cerebral palsy? |
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| The most important thing is when and how you start treatment.
Early intervention has been found to reduce the extent of the
motor handicap and improve the functional outcome of these children.
Early sensory stimulation - visual, auditary and tactile can
significantly lower the functional problems. If your child has
any developmental delay, he should be enrolled into an early
infant stimulation and intervention programme in a good centre. |
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| Instead of a single person's attention, the child needs
the combined attention of a team of professionals like
the development pediatrician/pediatric neurologist, physiotherapist,
occupational therapist, speech therapist, orthotist, orthopedician,
audiologist, and ophthalmologist. |
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| Importance of Early Intervention Program |
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| The early intervention program is designed to stimulate development
in the areas of language, fine motor, social, emotional growth,
is most rapid from birth to 3 years of age and early intervention
is essential for children with developmental delays. |
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| Role of Therapy in Treatment |
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Speech and Language Therapy:
Is aimed at improving the communication skills of the
child. For children who are verbal (who can speak) therapy
is aimed at improving their speech intelligibility, use
of language and comprehension of speech. For children
who are non-verbal ( who cannot speak), alternate communication
devices, computers etc., are taught to help the child
express himself. |
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Feeding Management: Many
children with CP have feeding problems like difficulty
in sucking, swallowing, chewing, and drooling problems.
These are also addressed during speech therapy and appropriate
feeding and breathing techniques implemented. |
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Occupational Therapy: Incorporates
sensory-motor and fine motor in developing play skills
and eventually functional skills for activities for daily
living. |
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Physio Therapy: Provide individualized
treatment to the children utilizing a varity of techniques.
The emphasis is on improving movement quality and functional
abilities, relieve pain, and prevent or limit permanent
physical disabilities. Treatment aims to restore, maintain
and promote overall fitness and health. |
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| Special Education |
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| Through special education children are guided to achieve holistic
education and every day living activities. Games, music, drawing,
painting and many such creative activities are blended in the
joyful learning process. The pre-school class designed to offer
children an optimal learning experience. |
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| Points to remember: |
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Your child is never too young for therapy . Therapy
should be started as soon as a diagnosis of CP is made. |
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Regular attendance for therapy is important to maintain
a good rapport with the child and monitor hi/her progress. |
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Cerebral palsy is a permanent condition with no "cure".
Changes from therapy are slow to develop and very subtle.
Do not be disappointed if your child does not show any
major changes in a short period of time. It is important
that you continue to play your part and not give up. |
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More
on Cerebral Palsy  |
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