Cerebral Palsy

Question: Cerebral palsy? I recently started working as a nanny. The family I work for has a 3 year old son with cerebral palsy and is blind. My question is what kind of activities can I do with him? Also does anyone know anything about this condition? I am a little educated with it but not as well as I would like to be.

Answer: My 2 year old son has cerebral palsy. He is not blind, but does have vision issues, and he also has some degree of mental retardation. Some kids with cp have mental retardation, and some kids don't. CP is a neurological disorder. The child's brain has either been injured (perhaps during birth, or oxygen deprivation at some point) or wasn't formed correctly during early pregnancy. The brain can't communicate with the muscles properly, and therefore the child can't control his body the way we do. My son loves to be held, loves music and when I sing to him, he loves the water (of course you must be very careful and never take you eyes off of him not even for a second - if the phone rings, ignore it; same with the doorbell, don't run and get a towel, nothing - you must keep your hands on him at all times!) I bet this kid you are nannying would love the pool (you'd have to go in with him and hold him) My son really loves movement, like swinging and when I toss him gently on the bed over and over. He loves it when I talk to him - at first it didn't seem to make a difference, but slowly he has realized that he can interact with me. Also, stretching his muscles several times a day is very important. Stretch out his hamstrings (back of his thigh) and his calves. Give him lots of time on his tummy so he can develop his arm and back muscles - very important. Just give him lots and lots of love and attention! What a difference you can make in this boy's life! Sorry for the book - I wish that I had someone I trusted to watch my son. Oh yeah, and what frogenstein said is true - he probably qualifies for Early Intervention services, where he can go and get all sorts of therapies and interact with other kids like him. This is really beneficial. Linda

Question: Can a person with cerebral palsy start to walk on their own if they pratice alot? i have cerebral palsy. i think that i can walk if i pratice alot. the other day i went to store and walk with my walker. now my legs are score and i cant pratice now. how can i make my legs less sore?

Answer: In my experience, the only way a person with CP will learn to walk is to learn how to do it with minimal effort. When you use the right muscles, walking should be almost effortless. Think about it...babies experiment by using different muscles and bending their bodies in different positions until they find the simplest way. We don't consciously think about breathing, we just do it. Walking should be easy, too. PT is the best way for a person with CP to learn how to do these effortless movements. My son couldn't sit up, crawl, or walk for a long time; much longer than the average child. After 3 years of PT, (age 3 1/2) he took his first steps. Now he's 5 1/2 and walking, running, jumping, climbing etc. We continue PT visits once weekly and he also practices at home. If you force walking before your body and brain learn the correct "tools" to master the movements correctly, I think you will be putting unecessary strain on your muscles and cause more pain for yourself. Make an appt. with a good PT that specializes in people with CP. They are out there, and they are VERY good at what they do. Good luck!

Question: What are the challenges of cerebral palsy? I am waiting to be a "Big Sister" in Big brothers, big sisters, and they have a possible match for me. She is a girl with cerebral palsy, and I don't know much about it. I have found info online, but it's very clinical and I just wanted some insight on the condition from real people. Any thoughts? Anything I should know about?

Answer: Basically it is caused by damage to the part of the brain that handles your motor skills and muscle control. It really varies from person to person so its hard to say exactly what challenges someone would have though. If her CP is more severe she might use a wheelchair or walker, and also it might be a little hard to understand her because the CP effects muscle control for talking too? Also a lot of people with cerebral palsy have this thing that makes their muscles really tense and they move involuntarily. I think thats what the other answer is talking about when she says her friend shakes. People will do stuff like shake or kick/move their arms or legs without trying, its just like signals from the brain so they can't control it? My sister has pretty severe CP and her legs just kick a little bit back and forth constantly like 24 hrs a day. She uses a wheelchair only to get around (noo walking) and I think people who don't know her usually have a really hard time understanding her unless she talks really slow. She can't write or do much with her hands but she can drive her wheelchair and eat by herself. But also I have a friend with really mild CP and he just walks with sort of a stiff limp and has bad handwriting/fine motor skills, basically he's just a little bit klutzy/awkward when he moves. Like I said, it varies a lot? Maybe someone at Big Brothers Big Sisters could tell you a little more about her before you meet her? Oh, also it is caused by brain damage but that doesn't always mean the person will have a mental disability too. Some people with CP will be mentally challenged and some will be average and some total geniuses.

Question: What are the chances of my child having cerebral palsy? My fiancee has cerebral palsy and we want to have a baby but wanted to know what are the chances that our baby would have it. Cerebral palsy runs on his side of the family but not mine. His grandad and a few of his uncles have it but what are the chances that our child would have it? It seems as if the ppl on his side of the family that have it are male so is it more likely that if we have a boy would he have it. Please help! Please no smart remarks...thank you in advance!

Answer: I have Cerebral Palsy and it is not a disorder that runs in families. Your fiancee's family might just have it just because. It is simply a lack of oxygen that causes brain damage in the areas of the brain that control balance and fine and gross motor.

Question: I have a mild case of cerebral palsy and need help with driving. What tools are out there to help me? It's a mild case of cerebral palsy. Only thing the matter is that my right hand is limp, i cant grab anything with it. Hence I need to grab a steering wheel when i drive. I have heard about steering control knobs or balls. What else is out there that could help me? I suppose this would make me be able to get a handicap sticker on my license plate too.

Answer: Car manufacturers are one of the most enthusiastic industries as far as special needs adaptations. You can indeed get a knob on the steering wheel, or a pin or a ring. You can also get floor-mounted steering, if your feet have more mobility than your hands. You can also get the gear shift, and other normally right-sided controls moved to the left. Even better, there are several resources, including the car makers themselves, that will fund, or help fund the modifications. There are many helpful links here: http://www.dynamic-living.com/article/ca… Or, if you have a specific brand of car in mind, talk to your local dealership. You probably would qualify for a handicap parking sticker. But keep in mind that these are intended for people with mobility limitations. If you can walk without impairment, do you really need one?

Question: How do you deal with your limitations when you have Cerebral Palsy? I have sometimes felt sad because I have Cerebral Palsy. Any tips on feeling better about it. And what about the anger that comes up too?

Answer: i'm an 18 yr old college student, i use a walker and have some difficulty with my left. honestly i doubt i could tell you how to deal with sadness or anger.What i will say is that sadness and anger is just a part of the human condition people are always anger or sad about something so even if you were perfect in everyway you'd still be sad or angry about something. the one thing thats gotten me through is humor and realizing that most people are incredibly ingnornate of people and things they have never had experience in or with (including myself). ideas to overcome (corny) 1 stay objective in your thinking process- try and understand where people or the world in general is coming from.( its helped me) 2 i dont know your age but whatever it is set and hit goals that others think are impossible and force people to open their eyes to what you can do. 3 STAY CONFIDENT IN ALL THAT YOU DO hope that helps some. remember you may feel lonely but you arent alone. ps. i set a goal to walk by my 21st birthday and i been streching and working out 2-3 hours a day for months because i intend on hitting my goal i set for myself. i also am going to learn 4 more languages in my lifetime. im starting on Spanish next month (it has helped my confidence in self worth just trying like i have been)

Question: What are the chances of Cerebral Palsy being passed through to an unborn child during a pregnancy? My fiancee and I want to have a baby, but he is worried that his cerebral palsy (mild) will be passed on to the baby and since he is older, he wouldn't be around to help me raise the baby and also he knows the cruelness and the hard times he had while he was growing up.

Answer: Your child's chances are the same as anyone else. Cerebral palsy isn't something that is passed down from parent to child, it is a birth defect that happens before birth, during birth, or perhaps even shortly after birth. It is usually the result of a stroke. So, I would not worry too much, as your husband cannot "give" your child C.P. It isn't apart of him in that way.

Question: How do you teach motor skills to a toddler with mild cerebral palsy? I'm working with a 2 year old child for one of my classes that has mild cerebral palsy due to past abuse by his father. He can walk but his right side is stiff and he favors his left side. I need some ideas on what to do with him. A theme would be great. Thanks! I will have a developmental interventionist with me. I just have to have a couple of lesson plans together when my professor observes me.

Answer: there should be a PT guiding you-- it is unsafe to make specific suggestions without professional guidance. when I have worked with children like this--i would place toys on their right (weak side) and casually block teh left--place at different disatnces--on floor/hold up/ near far to encourage reaching i also did a lot of song play- taht involved motions with arms/legs

Question: How many peps out there with a child with cerebral palsy and a deployed husband? I have 3 daughters ages 7, 5, and 20 months. Eldest with cerebral palsy (can walk with walker and braces but mostly crawls, and doesn't talk). Husband is in Iraq for 2nd time, 3rd time overseas. Just wondering if there are anymore out there in the same "boat" that I'm in.

Answer: My husband is also military, but he's home right now.Our two year old has CP. Feel free to email me if you'd like someone to talk to. I can be contacted through Y!A and will give you my email then.

Question: Who is a medical professional i could contact regarding the use of stem cells to cure cerebral palsy.? My brother is an adult male with cerebral palsy due to birth trauma. I have heard of some interesting research being done regarding the use of stem cells in curing cerebral palsy. Could anyone provide me with a contact for more information or a site where the procedures are discussed more in depth? Thanks.

Answer: you could look on line to see who is doing clinical research or conducting trials on this procedure and may by become part of the research trials. like U C Davis in california is doing clinical trials on emplantable contac lenses. you have to pay for the procedure, but at least you can get it done if you don't want to wait till its available to the public. if you type stem cell research trials in your computer search bar i would think something will come up to lead you to what you need.