Cerebral palsy is a motor disorder that affects a person's movements, balance, posture, and coordination. It is a spectrum disorder, meaning that people can have a wide range of symptoms with varying degrees of severity. Fortunately, there are many interventions available to help reduce the impact of cerebral palsy on the individual's body and quality of life. This article will provide an overview of the interventions available for students with cerebral palsy.
Muscle training and exercises are an important intervention for students with cerebral palsy. These activities can help improve strength, flexibility, balance, motor development, and mobility. Medical specialists may also prescribe medications to ease movement problems. These medications can be taken orally or injected or administered by surgically implanted pumps.
Botulinum toxin type A injections into muscles affected by spasticity can also be beneficial for children with cerebral palsy. This intervention is most effective when used in conjunction with therapy and is usually started at two years of age. Anti-seizure medications may also be prescribed to minimize the number of seizures and manage them when they occur. Pain can be treated with medications and by addressing the underlying cause of the pain.
Cognitive behavioral therapy can also be used to help people change the way they think about pain and how they feel and behave in the face of pain. Medical specialists may also prescribe medications or treat associated problems that affect sleep. Treatment for serious digestive difficulties, such as gastroesophageal reflux (GOR), includes medications or sometimes surgery. If the person has very limited eating skills or experiences unsafe swallowing, non-oral feeding may be recommended. This involves the surgical insertion of a feeding tube into the stomach or small intestine. Medical specialists can prescribe medications to control saliva.
Botulinum toxin type A injections into salivary glands have also been shown to reduce saliva secretion. In severe cases of drooling, surgery may be suggested to permanently control saliva. Ophthalmologists, optometrists, audiologists, and physicians (GP) treat hearing and visual impairments in the same way as in the general population. Interventions include corrective eyeglasses (eyeglasses), contact lenses, hearing aids and, in some cases, medications or surgery. Therapy also offers mental, emotional, academic and social benefits for people with cerebral palsy. Social workers support people with cerebral palsy and their families in many ways, including strength-based counseling and mutually supportive group work. Cerebral palsy affects movement, so students with cerebral palsy may need more space, time, and support to move around the classroom and complete tasks.
Selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR) is a neurosurgical procedure used in a small percentage of children with cerebral palsy to permanently reduce spasticity in the legs. Although individual practical therapy is not always available to achieve a sufficient volume of treatment, occupational therapy, physical therapy and medicine are disciplines that cover the largest number of interventions that have proven effective for cerebral palsy. Contemporary treatment models consider task completion and function improvement as the main outcome measures of rehabilitation interventions. In conclusion, there are many interventions available for students with cerebral palsy that can help reduce its impact on their body and quality of life.
Medical specialists can prescribe medications to ease movement problems or control saliva. Cognitive behavioral therapy can help people change the way they think about pain and how they feel and behave in the face of pain. Occupational therapy, physical therapy and medicine are disciplines that cover the largest number of interventions that have proven effective for cerebral palsy.
