“The future depends on what you do today.”
Gandhi
JPosture
Treatments for CP
The goal of any treatment or tool is to improve the functionality and capabilities of an individual. There is no such thing as one single habilitation process for cerebral palsy. Each person's challenges the needs are different. And that in person's treatment requirements will change continuously throughout their life.
The results of treatment for CP are impossible to quantify... But it has been proven that early treatment for children with cerebral palsy is very important because the developing brain has the ability to change. This means that there are more opportunities to correct or improve a children's mobility limitations during the earlier years.
I have two major grips about the medical world when it comes to CP...
Firstly, we had struggled in our battle with CP for five years before stumbling upon the word neuroplasticity. Julian was six. Five years wasted of possibility. This is an egregious and unacceptable form of neglect on behalf of the medical community. As we battled and struggled to do everything possible for Julians habilitation, no one ever once mentioned that he could have actually improved due to neuroplasticity.
Secondly, part of the reason why the NHS and insurance companies refuse to cover certain treatments/therapies is because they are not accompanied by evidence based research. Evidence base research requirements makes sense on many levels, but the fact that some of the treatment options for CP are kept completely hush-hush by medical professionals is absolutely unacceptable. [Especially when we stress that we'll pay for it ourselves.]
It's completely ridiculous, when you think that osteopathy, conductive education or MAEZ therapy, for example, need any research to prove their benefit. When it comes to therapies that are obviously positive (i.e. beneficial), how dare they withhold this information from us?
My belief has always been that if the treatment seems viable, go with the thought that if it doesn't hurt...It might just help.
Below are links to 3 comprehensive lists of every existing treatment, therapy or tool for you to consider in your battle against cerebral palsy.