Understanding Cerebral Palsy
What is Cerebral Palsy?
Cerebral palsy is a neurological disorder that affects movement, muscle tone, and posture. It is caused by damage to the developing brain, typically before birth. Depending on the affected areas of the brain, cerebral palsy can present itself in various forms.
We understand the challenges and individualised needs of supporting a child with cerebral palsy. With our expertise in Occupational Therapy, Speech Pathology, Physiotherapy intervention, and Dietetics, we customise our approach to meet each child’s specific requirements. We focus on improving motor skills, enhancing communication abilities, increasing participation in daily activities, and promoting overall physical well-being.
Symptoms and Challenges of Cerebral Palsy
How to identify Cerebral Palsy in your child
Children with cerebral palsy may experience a range of symptoms, including:
- Variability in muscle tone, such as being either too stiff or too floppy.
- Difficulty with gross motor skills like walking or crawling.
- Impaired fine motor skills, affecting tasks such as writing or using utensils.
- Involuntary movements or tremors.
- Challenges with balance and coordination.
- Neglect of one side of the body or difficulty with movements on one side.
- Difficulty with chewing and swallowing, leading to inadequate nutrition.
- Difficulty communicating and being understood.
Each child with cerebral palsy may experience these symptoms differently, which is why personalised therapy is essential. At South West Kids Clinic, we assess each child’s specific condition to tailor therapies that best meet their needs and promote optimal development and function.
Our Approach Cerebral Palsy
How we assist children with Cerebral Palsy
Our multidisciplinary team is dedicated to providing comprehensive and compassionate care for children with cerebral palsy. We work closely with families to create customised therapy plans that address each child’s challenges and strengths.
Occupational Therapy
Physiotherapy
Speech Pathology
Dietetics
Areas we target
Areas we target
Areas we target
Areas we target
- Fine motor skills
- Joint range of motion, flexibility, strength and joint integrity
- Participation in daily living skills (e.g., dressing, feeding, bathing)
- Posture and alignment
- 24-hour positioning
- Motor control and coordination
- Developmental milestones
- Play and social skills
- Gross motor skills
- Joint range of motion and flexibility
- Balance and gait training
- Strength and endurance
- Posture and alignment
- Motor control and coordination
- Pain management
- Articulation of Speech sounds
- Receptive (understanding) language
- Expressive (use of) language
- Fluency (stuttering) management
- Feeding difficulties and Dysphagia
- Voice Disorders relating to paresis or incoordination of vocal folds or the diaphragm
- Meeting nutritional requirements for age and developmental skills
- Supporting food modifications as required
- Supporting meeting nutritional requirements with supplements as required
Interventions we provide:
Interventions we provide:
Interventions we provide:
Interventions we provide:
- Comprehensive assessment of motor and developmental skills
- Goal-directed training
- Bimanual therapy
- Modified constraint induced movement therapy
- Cognitive Orientation to daily Occupational Performance (CO-OP Approach)
- Splinting and upper limb serial casting
- Theratogs
- Pre & Post Botox interventions
- Pre & Post-surgery rehabilitation
- Functional Upper Limb training
- Community assessments and intervention to assist with transitions into school
- Equipment and assistive technology prescription, monitoring & support
- Parent/caregiver coaching & support
- Task adaptation or simplification
- Graded task progression
- Liaison with specialist team and key support persons
- Functional, goal-directed therapy
- Dynamic Movement Intervention (DMI) intensive therapy
- Spider cage therapy
- Pediasuit
- Serial casting & splinting
- 24-hour positioning
- Paediatric Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilisation (PIASTM)
- Pre and post-Botulinum Toxin injection management
- Pre and post-orthopaedic surgery rehabilitation
- Assistive technology prescription, monitoring & support
- Aquatic physiotherapy
- Parent/caregiver coaching & support
- Comprehensive assessment of oral motor skills required for speech and feeding
- Augmentative and Alternative Communication prescription, monitoring and support
- Alternative access for AAC, including switch access, eye gaze, and partner-assisted scanning
- Nuffield Dyspraxia Program
- Rapid Syllable Transition Treatment (ReST)
- Contextual Utilisation Approaches for Speech Sound Production
- Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cueing (DDTC)
- Cued Articulation approach
- Peer-based playgroups
- Responsive Feeding Therapy approach
- Parent/caregiver coaching & support
- Food Modification for safer eating and drinking
- Multidisciplinary/Team-based approach to eating and drinking (such as equipment prescription)
- Comprehensive assessment of current nutritional status
- Nutrition support through food modification
- Nutrition support through supplements
- Enteral feeding support
Frequently asked questions
What age should my child start therapy for Cerebral Palsy?
Early intervention is crucial, so starting therapy as soon as possible after a diagnosis is recommended. Early treatment can significantly impact a child’s development and ability to function more independently as they grow.
How often will my child need to attend therapy sessions?
The frequency of therapy sessions varies depending on the severity of the child’s condition and their specific needs. Typically, more intensive therapy is recommended initially, with adjustments made as improvements are seen.
Is parental involvement required in therapy sessions?
Parental involvement is essential as it can enhance the effectiveness of therapy. During sessions, parents learn techniques that can be applied at home, helping to reinforce skills and promote continuous development.
My child is going to school in the next few years. How can you help?
Our team will work together to determine the support needed for the transition to school. This may include educating the school team about cerebral palsy, assessing for potential difficulties accessing school spaces, providing reports for necessary modifications, suggesting task modifications, recommending helpful equipment, and offering therapy to target essential school readiness skills.
