Cerebral palsy is a group of brain disorders that can affect movement, posture, and balance. It is caused by damage to the brain before, during, or after birth. While it does not get worse over time, it can cause motor deficiencies that may go unnoticed in the early years of childhood. As soon as cerebral palsy is diagnosed, a child can start therapy to help with movement and other areas such as learning, speaking, hearing, and social and emotional development.
In general, people with mild cerebral palsy will take baclofen in pill form, since their spasticity isn't severe enough to warrant surgery. But can a child overcome cerebral palsy? A study of 229 one-year-old children enrolled in a large longitudinal study found that those with cerebral palsy were able to overcome their motor disabilities by the age of seven. Participants reflected on positive and negative interactions with healthcare providers, suggesting that patients with cerebral palsy often feel that they are not being listened to and that they are not allowed to actively participate in their health care. Non-febrile seizures, abnormalities in speech articulation and extraocular movements, and certain behavioral abnormalities were more common in children who overcame cerebral palsy than in the general study population. When a child has spasticity problems in the hands or wrists, the use of a brace called a splint may be recommended. The study participants knew that the changes would occur as they aged and that those changes would be different from those that their peers with non-cerebral palsy might experience.
All study participants reported that cerebral palsy was a component of their lives, but it did not encompass their whole being. In conclusion, it is possible for children with cerebral palsy to overcome their motor disabilities. Early diagnosis and therapy can help children learn how to manage their symptoms and live a full life. It is important for healthcare providers to listen to patients with cerebral palsy and allow them to actively participate in their health care.
