5 Tips for Raising a Child with Cerebral Palsy

As a licensed physical therapist (albeit non-practising at the moment) and a mom of two, I have always admired parents of children with special needs. During my days as a UP Manila intern, I was exposed to families of special needs kids from different backgrounds – some were from poor families, others were more well-off than most. But despite their differences, their love and concern for their special child was the same. They were willing to learn about anything and everything that could help them deal with their kids’ conditions.


What is Cerebral Palsy (CP)?

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cerebral palsy refers to “a group of disorders that affect a person's ability to move and to maintain balance and posture. It is due to a non-progressive brain abnormality, which means that it does not get worse over time, though the exact symptoms can change over a person's lifetime.”

Persons with cerebral palsy have damage in that part of their brain which controls muscle tone. Muscle tone is the amount of resistance to movement in a muscle. In other words, muscle tone is what lets you keep your body in a certain position or posture. If your child has cerebral palsy, the tone in his or her different muscle groups is not balanced, so his or her movements are not fluid.

The symptoms of CP are not the same in every child, and may change in time. Children with severe CP may not be able to walk and may need you to take care of them for the rest of their lives, while those with mild CP may only need help in walking.

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Pointers For Parents

Precious Salang-Quintos, a U.S.-based physical therapist and former therapist at the Center for Holistic Intervention Plans and Services, inc. (CHIPS) in Quezon City, shares the following pointers for parents of kids with cerebral palsy.

1.    Stay strong. Your child will lean on you for strength, physically and emotionally.

2.    Get information from experts rather than listening to hearsay. There are a lot of doctors, medical professionals, and organizations that can help you and give you scientifically-proven advice.

3.    Do your own research through books, and reach out to other parents who have the same experience. It will greatly help in making decisions on how to deal with this challenge.

4.    As much as possible, be there with your child during treatment sessions and check-ups with her doctor. Observe and ask questions no matter how stupid the question may sound. See to it that the exercises recommended by the therapist are done.

5.    Treat your kid like a normal child but recognize his special needs. Allow him to explore the world like you would if you had a kid who didn’t require special attention. Keep in mind though the safety of his environment and adjust to their needs and level as needed.

Ms. Salang-Quintos also says, "The exercises your child does while in therapy should be continued at home, depending on the kind of CP your child has. Overall though, I consider swimming as a good exercise to help tone muscles. It is a great avenue for doing simple range exercises and stretching for children with CP. The child, being a child, will also surely enjoy the water."

Ms. Salang-Quintos also encourages parents to allow their child with CP to do his daily activities by himself, and assist only when needed to help promote independence.

An expectant mother herself, Ms. Salang-Quintos advises parents to be open to the possibility that their hopes and dreams for their child might not become a reality. Acceptance will help parents cope, and move on to provide the best possible care for their children.

Parents of kids with CP are called to make sacrifices and “go the extra mile” in many ways. They are special because of their resilience, patience and willingness to be students themselves for their beloved child.


Very soon: Tips for Raising a Child with Down Syndrome.

Source:
www.cdc.gov


Photo from flickr.com