| LEARN ABOUT CEREBRAL PALSY | |
What to Do on Suspicion of Cerebral Palsy? |
|
| Any
child who has developmental delay in motor functions - means the motor
milestones have developed later than the expected age might have cerebral
palsy. The suspicion should be higher if the child had insult to brain say
during perinatal period (refer toprevious IFCP newsletters). Such babies are
considered high-risk babies, it means they have higher risk to develop cerebral
palsy in comparison to the babies who had no perinatal problem. Therefore, for
such babies one should not listen any words of consolation from friends,
relativesand professionals. They may say, "some children develop at a slower
pace compared to others". Kindly note that sometimes a child may develop insult
to brain later than perinatal period and may regress in their milestones. They
may also develop cerebral palsy. What should be done on suspicion of a child
with cerebral palsy? |
|
| Following
steps should be taken as soon as delayed motor development is suspected or a
child who has sustained insult to brain.
|
|
1. |
Educate yourself about the age of development of various milestones and compare them with the high risk baby. (Chronology of milestones). |
| 2. | Compare
suspected child`s development with the development of your or others normal
children. |
| 3. |
Consult qualified specialist like paediatrician (preferably developmental paediatrician)/ paediatric neurophysician/ paediatric neurosurgeon /paediatric orthopaedician. |
| Special
note
|
|
| (a) | make it a point to consult a paediatrician during each vaccination day. Request him to see whether the child has cerebral palsy. |
| (b) |
remember, the specialists can diagnose CP even before developmental delay is observed. Therefore, all the high risk babies must be shown regularly to specialists. |
4. |
As soon as diagnosis is made intervention should be started. At this time you are likely to face tremendous confusion. There are many indigenous methods and we do not know how effective they are. Therefore, those methods with at least some scientific proof should be tried. If you have money, manpower and time you may also try other non-invasive safe methods. As soon as diagnosis is made following methods should be started: |
(a) |
Specialized therapeutic exercises say physiotherapy. |
| (b) | To
learn correct methods of handling and nursing the child. There are many
advantages of these methods e.g.
|
| (i)
The methods would help in breaking the wrong patterns, |
|
| (ii)
would stretch the spastic muscles,
|
|
| (iii)
would not reinforce abnormal reflexes. |
|
| (c) | Brain
tonics may be given but only for a few months immediately after the insult to
brain. |
| 5. | Regular
consultation with various specialists. Please do not try to get this thing in
hurry. Because, the professionals are usually very busy and if you are also
busy (in other works) the net result will be less attention to the child. The
professionals can always finish their work in a short time also. Parents and
professionals should try their best to plan out the programme in such a way
that no ones time is wasted and maximum proper attention is given to the child. |
| 6. | Make
sure that wrong methods are not tried. |
| 7. |
Prepare immediate, short term and long term plans of management in consultation with various specialists. Write the plan in your planner. The plan should be written down in the monthly and yearly calendars of next 5 years. Extra attention and treatment should be planned as soon as complications like contracture, etc., start developing. Not to forget that the child may have associated other disorders like speech abnormality, cognitive sub-normality, etc, and specialists to deal with these disorders should also be consulted. (To be continued in next newsletter, study motor milestones also in next issue of this newsletter) |
| For
further information President, IFCP Indian Family of Cerebral Palsy Dept of Neurosurgery NIMS Panjagutta Hyderabad-500 082 phone040-23320332,23318204 Fax:040-23310076,23318204 please mail to akpcp@rediffmail.com |
|