This is the list we wish we had been given when our son was diagnosed
with cerebral palsy. Why? Because medical care for people with cp, as
it must be for anyone with a disability, is fragmented into many
specialties: neurology, orthopedics, physiatry, opthamalogy, to name a
few. They all have a little piece of the whole puzzle, and it remains
the patient's responsibility to put the pieces together. Also, medical
technology and research moves forward and it may be difficult for
practicing physicians to keep up with all the latest news and techniques.
This page lists all the treatment options we've heard of being used for
cerebral palsy.
Cerebral Institute of Discovery - Non-Surgical Treatment Options for Cerebral Palsy
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Keep in mind that not all of these treatments are available everywhere,
nor will they necessarily be effective. Consult with your doctor(s) and
therapist(s), talk to people who have tried the treatment, and do your
own research. As always, remember that health care is a commodity like
any other in the market--caveat emptor! (Buyer beware!)
Physical therapy: NDT-trained (neurodevelopmental treatment), for gross
motor skills. Considered one of the mainstay therapies for cp, it is used to
decrease spasticity, strengthen underlying muscles, and teach proper or
functional motor patterns. A good PT will also teach the family/care-givers
how to help the person with cp to help themselves.
Visit The Neuro-Developmental
Treatment Association
(http://www.ndta.org/) web
site for detailed information on the practices.
Occupational therapy, for fine motor skills and daily living activites.
Another mainstay therapy for cp, it is used in much the same way as PT,
primarily focusing on the hands and arms. Consult these therapists for feeding
techniques and adaptations (self-feeding or otherwise) and for wheelchair
driving too.
Speech & language therapy, for spoken and alternative communication. Some
speech therapists have additional training as oral motor specialists, and
these can help with more serious issues with feeding, breathing, swallowing,
and oral sensitivity.
Alicia Courville's Speech Therapy Home Page
(http://members.aol.com/acourville/index.html)
offers much information on speech and language pathology and related fields.
Feldenkrais, a body awareness methodology for learning how to hold
and move the body. Excellent places to learn more are
The Feldenkrais Guild
(http://www.healthy.net/feldenkrais/)
and Movement Educators
(http://www.movement-educators.com/).
For more in-depth information on feldenkrais and its founder, Moshe
Feldenkrais, read
Learning How To Learn
(http://www.semiophysics.com/learning.htm), by Dennis Leri.
Swimming, preferably in a warmer-than-average pool. Any exercise or
movement done in the water will be easier and more effective at exercising
muscles. Recreational therapists may be used to teach your child how to swim.
For some people with cp, swimming is their only independent mobility.
Horseback riding:
hippotherapy
(http://www.narha.org/aha.html),
for exercise. Benefits abound in the horse's movement,
bonding with an animal, and it's just flat-out fun. Kids who can't walk
get a sense of what it feels like, and kids with arm movement
learn how to take care of these beautiful beasts as well as learn to ride.
It is also a very effective means of stretching legs, arms, and the back.
This one comes highly recommended by just about everyone who's lucky enough
to have access to it.
Craniosacral therapy
(http://www.upledger.force9.co.uk/),
a method of manipulating the head and lower spine, and thus the cerebrospinal
fluid. May make movement easier or more coordinated. Results, if any, are
generally seen in about two weeks following the initial treatment.
Also myofacial release, a similar treatment done on "trigger" points
throughout the body.
Electrical stimulation: TES, FES, or NMES. All three types use very low
levels of electrical current to stimulate the muscles to contract. Electrodes
are placed on the skin over the desired muscle group or groups.
-Therapeutic electrical stimulation (TES) is administered at night during sleep. It has been proven to actually add more muscle fiber, but exercise and/or therapy must be used to teach the person what to do with the strengthened muscle tissue. The Beth Israel site (http://nyneurosurgery.org/cfr/child/spasticity/tes/tes_int.html) has a good summary of TES.
See also, the Mayatek Inc. homepage (http://www.mayatek.com/), makers of a Therapeutic Electrical Stimulation (TES) device. They also list names and addresses of physical therapists who are trained to set people up with TES. "The TES program, an adjunct to physical therapy, [...] counteracts the disuse muscle atrophy associated with a wide range of neurologic disorders including and especially, cerebral palsy and spina bifida."
See also, MOVE International (http://www.kern.org/edserv/move/) in the USA and Ability Camp (http://www.abilitycamp.com), a "year-round facility that provides five week intensive therapeutic sessions for children with motor disorders."
More conductive education information (http://members.aol.com/jimceleste/cond_ed/index.html)
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Handling the Young Cerebral Palsied Child at Home by Nancie R. Finnie, Nancy Finnie Our Price: $14.95 Availability: This title usually ships within 4-6 weeks. Please note that titles occasionally go out of print or publishers run out of stock. We will notify you within 2-3 weeks if we have trouble obtaining this title. Paperback 2nd edition (January 1991) New American Library Trade; ISBN: 0452266580 ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.99 x 8.26 x 5.26 |
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Cerebral Palsy : A Complete Guide for Caregiving by Freeman Miller, Steven J. Bachrach List Price: Our Price: $15.16 You Save: $3.79 (20%) Availability: Usually ships within 24 hours. Paperback - 488 pages Reprint edition (April 1998) Johns Hopkins Univ Pr; ISBN: 0801859492 ; Dimensions (in inches): 1.28 x 9.91 x 6.99 |
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Keys to Parenting a Child With Cerebral Palsy by Jane Faulkner Leonard, Margaret E. Myers, Sherri Lynn Cadenhead List Price: Our Price: $5.56 You Save: $1.39 (20%) Availability: Usually ships within 24 hours. Paperback (September 1997) Barrons Educational Series; ISBN: 0764100912 ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.52 x 8.25 x 5.20 |
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Children With Cerebral Palsy : A Parents' Guide
 by Elaine Geralis (Editor) List Price: Our Price: $13.56 You Save: $3.39 (20%) Availability: Usually ships within 24 hours. Paperback 2nd edition (September 1998) Woodbine House; ISBN: 0933149824 ; Dimensions (in inches): 1.02 x 8.54 x 5.50 |
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Mine for Keeps
by Jean Little Availability: This title is out of print. Although it is no longer available from the publisher, we'll query our network of used bookstores for you and send an update within one to two weeks. ASIN: 0670859672 |
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On Being Sarah by Elizabeth Helfman, Lino Saffioti (Illustrator), Judith Mathews (Editor) Our Price: $13.95 Availability: This title usually ships within 2-3 days. Reading level: Ages 9-12 School & Library Binding - 172 pages (October 1992) Albert Whitman & Co; ISBN: 0807560685 ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.71 x 8.34 x 6.32 |
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Uncommon Voyage: Parenting a Special Needs Child in the World of
Alternative Medicine
by Laura Shapiro Kramer, Seth Kramer List Price: Our Price: $11.96 You Save: $2.99 (20%) Availability: Usually ships within 24 hours. Paperback - 224 pages (October 1997) Faber & Faber; ISBN: 0571199283 ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.70 x 9.02 x 6.00 |
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Caring for Children With Cerebral Palsy: A Team Approach by John P. Dormans (Editor), Louis Pellegrino (Editor) Our Price: $41.95 Availability: On Order; usually ships within 1-2 weeks. Paperback - 496 pages (March 1998) Paul H Brookes Pub Co; ISBN: 155766322X ; Dimensions (in inches): 1.15 x 8.98 x 6.16 |
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The Cerebral Palsies: Causes, Consequences, and Management by Geoffrey Miller (Editor), Gary D. Clark (Editor) Our Price: $75.00 Hardcover (April 1998) Butterworth-Heinemann Medical; ISBN: 0750699647 |
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Orthopaedic Management in Cerebral Palsy (Clinics in Developmental
Medicine, No 99/100) by Eugene E. Bleck Our Price: $95.00 Availability: This title usually ships within 4-6 weeks. Please note that titles occasionally go out of print or publishers run out of stock. We will notify you within 2-3 weeks if we have trouble obtaining this title. Hardcover (June 1987) Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Publishers; ISBN: 0521412188 |
Monday, 12-Apr-2004 07:30:30 EDT
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