Therapy methods for cerebral palsy

Abstract

Demands for more and better therapy are, at best, simplistic and tend to detract from the real needs of the child and family. An ongoing ecological approach is more likely to produce positive outcomes.

The neuronal group selection theory: promising principles for understanding and treating developmental motor disorders

“…As children with brain dysfunction need more practice than their non-affected peers, it is important to reinforce the child's motivation by creating a familiar, playful setting with positive feedback 92,118,120 . The latter might be achieved by means of the application of variable postures which counteract the infants' propensity for stereotyped activity.…”

“…The other motor disorders of children with CP require additional forms of treatment. the family and the wider community 91,92 . Additionally, paresis can be treated with specific strength training 86 , training with biofeedback 87 , or by improving sensorimotor coordination.…”

Evaluation of developmental therapies in Cerebral Palsy

“…Further, there is no evidence that neurodevelopmental therapy, when applied in the first few months of life to infants at risk for CP (primarily low birth-weight infants), will prevent development of CP or otherwise alter neurodevelopmental outcome. However, a blanket statement labeling neurodevelopmental therapy ineffective is not possible due to the scope, weaknesses, and limitations of existing research [Tirosh and Rabino, 1989;Palmer, 1992;Bower, 1993;Turnbull, 1993;Graves, 1995;Hur, 1995;Harris, 1997;Pakula and Palmer, 1997]. Many of these limitations are inevitable.…”

Parental Participation in Intervention Programs for Children with Cerebral Palsy

“…However, when parents are involved it is important to look at effects on the child and the parents and to look for relationships between these outcomes (Harris, 1990). A shift in emphasis is occurring in early intervention literature, from the child's impairments to the whole child, and from the whole child to the family (Graves, 1995). Unfortunately, this shift in literature has not yet been followed in research.…”