Tag Archives: cerebral palsy

Functional Outcomes of Strength Training in Spastic Cerebral Palsy

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Introduction

The purpose of this study is to det4rmine the clinical effectiveness of stregnth training in children diagnosed with spastic cerebral palsy.

Methodology

Participants included children with cerebral palsy between the ages of 6 to 12 years old. All of the participants were patients at a children’s rehabilitation center. Six of the children  were diagnosed with spastic diplegia and were limited in walking and also demonstrated less than 50% of normal muscle strength. The remining participants (5)  had spastic hemiplegia and demonstrated 20% strength in at least two muscles across extremities.

The participants participated in a 6-week strength training program including pre and post strength training evaluation on eight muscles groups in both lower extremities using a hand-held  dynamometer, 3D gait analysis.

Findings

The researcher found:

  • That each group identified had a significant strength gains in the muscles targeted.
  • The entire group had higher gait velocity
  • Asymmetry in strength improved in hemiplegia
  • Short-term strength training programs demonstrated positive- functional outcomes.
Reference

Damiano, D.L,; Abel, M.F. (1998). Functional Outcomes of Strength Training in Spastic Cerebral Palsy Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. 79. 119-25

National Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month

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Date: March 1- March 31, 2022

March is National Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month and is used to bring awareness and to educate the general public.

What is Cerebral Palsy?

Cerebral Palsy is a collection of motor disorders resulting from damage to the brain that can occur before, during and after birth. Congenital cerebral palsy indicates that a person developed cerebral palsy at birth which is the case of the majority of people with cerebral palsy. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Cerebral Palsy (CP) is a group of disorders that affect a person’s ability to move and maintain balance and posture. It is the most common motor disability in childhood. It is estimated that an average of 1 in 345 children in the U.S. have cerebral palsy. For many years, it was thought cerebral palsy was due to lack of oxygen. Studies show this only accounts for 19% of all cases.

Prevalence and Characteristics
  • Around 764,000 people in the United states have at least one symptom of cerebral palsy
  • Around 10,000 babies are born each year with cerebral palsy
  • Boys are diagnosed more often than girls
  • Cerebral palsy is the mot commonly diagnosed childhood motor disability in the United States
  • Over 77% of children with cerebral palsy have the spastic form
  • More than 50% of all children with cerebral palsy can walk independently
  • African American children with cerebral palsy are 1.7 times more likely to need assistance with walking or be unable to walk at all
  • Around 41% of babies and children with cerebral palsy will have limited abilities in crawling, walking and running.
  • Around 41% children with cerebral palsy in the United states have some form of a cognitive disorder
  • Behavior problems are common in children with cerebral palsy including social skills and anger issues.
  • Seizures are a common associate disorder of cerebral palsy and can range from mild to extreme severe.
  • There is no known cure
What Causes Cerebral Palsy?

Studies show that about 10 to 20 percent of children with cerebral palsy acquire the disorder after birth. This includes through infections, jaundice, RH incompatibility and severe oxygen shortage in the brain.

Types of Cerebral Palsy

Ataxic- indicates the muscle tone is too low or too loose

  • affects 5 to 10 percent of people with cerebral palsy
  • movements are unsteady and shaking
  • have difficulty making quick movements

Spastic- refers to the inability of  muscle to relax

  • is the most common type of cerebral palsy
  • 70-80% of people have spastic cerebral palsy
  • will have difficulty moving from one position to another

Athetoid-uncontrolled twisting movements

  • Affects 10 to 20% of people with cerebral palsy
  • often have difficulty holding themselves in an upright position
  • muscles move involuntarily causing limbs to twitch

Classifications

Hemiplegia- The inability to move the arm and leg on one side of the body.

Diplegia-The inability to move either both arms or both legs.

Quadriplegia- A type of cerebral palsy that affects all limbs on both sides of the body

Monoplegia- A type of cerebral palsy that affects only one limb.

Resources

 

Emergency Room and Special Needs

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Autism-friendly emergency department provides comfort and familiarity for individuals with autism

Children and youth with special healthcare needs in emergencies

Creating an autism-friendly emergency room department

Emergency department management of children with cerebral palsy

Improving emergency care for adults with developmental disabilities

Hospital initiative strives for an autism-friendly patient experience

Slowing down emergency rooms to improve autism care

The hospital emergency room and autism spectrum disorder

Things to consider when bringing your child with special needs to the emergency room

Treating children with special needs in the emergency room

Thanksgiving and Mealtime Precautions

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mealtime_thanksgiving_logo

Thanksgiving is the day set aside in the United States and Canada as a day of pausing to reflect all that we are thankful for by connecting with friends and family over good food. It is also the day of taking special precautions when serving people with developmental disabilities.

Aspiration is a huge risk during the holiday season. Factors that place people at risk for aspiration includes the following:

  • Being fed by someone else
  • Poor chewing or swallowing skills
  • Weak or absent coughing/gagging reflexes which is common in people with cerebral palsy or muscular dystrophy
  • Eating to quickly
  • Inappropriate fluid consistency
  • Inappropriate food texture

For children and adults with autism, Thanksgiving may be a challenge for a variety of reasons:

  • Sensory and emotional overload with large groups
  • Picky eaters
  • Difficulty with various textures of food

To help you mange Thanksgiving with ease, click on the articles below:

5 simple steps to hosting an autism-friendly Thanksgiving

8 tips for managing Thanksgiving with children with autism

10 genius ways to help your autistic picky eater to eat this Thanksgiving

Autism and Picky Eating

Autism and Thanksgiving: How to cope with the feasting and hubbub

Feeding kids with sensory processing disorders

Preparing for Thanksgiving on the autism spectrum

Swallowing problems? What to do about Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving dinner ideas for speech therapy activities

Tips for Navigating Thanksgiving on the Spectrum

 

Updated 08/26/2020

Mothers of Children With CP Say Depression, Fatigue Hurt Quality of Life, Study Finds

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Published by: Cerebral Palsy News Today
Written by: Charlotte Baker

Depression, burden of care, and fatigue all hamper quality of life for mothers of children with cerebral palsy (CP), a study found.

A “holistic approach” including training in managing children with CP along with “psychological interventions” would improve quality of life for these mothers, the researchers said.

The study, “Factors associated with quality of life among mothers of children with cerebral palsy,” was published in the International Journal of Nursing Practice. 

Researchers in Iran asked mothers to complete a series of questionnaires to evaluate the impact of fatigue, depression, and burden of care on their quality of life (QoL).

“The burden of caregiving can adversely affect the physical, psychosocial, and mental health of caregivers, leading to poor quality of care and unmet patient need,” the researchers said. Click here to read the rest of the story.