How to Care for People with Cerebral Palsy
Children with cerebral palsy need as much as attention as any ordinary kid without the condition. There will be special needs for interaction, facilitating movement, communication, and other activities which can be very frustrating for some parents even to the most devoted ones. Without special help, some families will be at loss as to where they can turn to for assistance that will aid in coping with their lives while providing special care to their children with cerebral palsy.
In order for parents to understand how they can deal with their children who suffer from cerebral palsy, they first need to realize that even with this condition; children with CP still have the ability for emotional and intellectual development. Even if life will be a bit more challenging, it should not prevent parents from encouraging their children to grow and explore the world while helping them to develop along the way. It is also important for other siblings to receive equal amount of attention while giving the chance to understand the special attention needed by the one with cerebral palsy. When a parent turns his or her full attention to the child with CP, other siblings may feel that they are excluded from the family. Studies show that children living under this environment are more likely to develop various emotional and behavioral problems as they grow older.
Aside from the daily activities of children with cerebral palsy, another complicated issue associated for caring for children with special needs is education. The law states that all children, including those with cerebral palsy, have the equal rights to attend school and get the proper education as with the general population. But the reality is that children with cerebral palsy do have special needs that not all schools will be able to address. But special inclusion learning programs combine disabled children with the general population under a single learning environment, so that children with cerebral palsy will be able to learn the differences, even at an early age.
When it comes to caring for children with CP, parents must also consider the fact that the majority support services provided by various institutions for families will cease to arrive once the child reaches his or her 18th or 21st birthday. The idea of allowing a person with cerebral palsy to fend for himself is often the scariest part of parenting and with the growing cost of health care in the country, a majority of these children are forced to join special homes, especially when parents can no longer afford to support the medical and therapy needs of their children.
This is one of the reasons why at an early age, parents are encouraged to provide all the support they can give that will allow their children to learn to perform even the simplest daily task required in life. Cerebral palsy is not progressive and a child can learn other things that can give a semblance of normalcy in his life which can become useful later on in life.
Origins of Cerebral Palsy is the comprehensive source for information on causes and treatment of Cerebral Palsy.