Cerebral Palsy Occupational Therapy for | Therapies For Kids

Cerebral Palsy (CP) is a developmental disability that affects movement. It can result from damage or dysfunction in the developing brain, and may present before or at birth. It is estimated the approximately one child in 500 born in Australia will be diagnosed with CP. The effects of CP are different for each individual. The effects can include problems with movement, muscle control, muscle coordination, muscle tone, reflexes, balance and posture.

Types of Cerebral Palsy

Spastic Cerebral Palsy

Spastic Cerebral Palsy is the most common type of CP, accounting for 70% 80% of cases. Spasticity is a form of hypertonia caused by damage to the motor cortex of the brain. Children may have difficulty moving from one position to another and controlling individual muscles to perform a movement task.

Dyskinetic Cerebral Palsy

Children with Dyskinetic CP have variable involuntary movements which are often noticeable when a childattempts to perform a task. Dyskinetic CP results from damage to the basal ganglia. The basal ganglia are responsible for regulating voluntary movements.

Dyskinetic movements can be:

Ataxic Cerebral Palsy

Children with Ataxia have movement that can appear clumsy, unstable or imprecise. Their movements are not smooth and can appear jerky. Ataxic cerebral palsy is the least common form and is the result of damage to the cerebellum, which is the balance centre of the brain.

Mixed Cerebral Palsy

Children with CP can have a combination of any of the above.

Classification of Cerebral Palsy

In addition to the above Types of CP, classification of CP is used in order to describe the area of the body affected.

CP is also classified using the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS). You can read more about this measure via the Physiotherapy Cerebral Palsy information page.

Manual Ability Classification System (MACS)

Eliasson AC, Krumlinde Sundholme L, Rosblad B, Beckung E, Arner M, Ohrvall AM, Rosenbaum P (2006)

MACS is a classification measure for children 4-18 years of age will Cerebral Palsy and was designed to highlight the importance of hand function for independence in daily life. MACS describes how children usually use their hands to handle objects in the home, school, and community settings (what they do), rather than what is known to be their best capacity.

I. Handles objects easily and successfully.II. Handles most objects but with somewhat reduced quality and/or speed of achievement.III. Handles objects with difficulty; needs help to prepare and/or modify activities.IV. Handles a limited selection of easily managed objects in adapted situations.V. Does not handle objects and has severely limited ability to perform even simple actions.

What we do

It is important for children to receive intensive intervention as early as possible to help assist them to have every opportunity to reach their full potential. At Therapies for Kids our Occupational Therapists are experienced working with children with CP and other movement disorders and will offer you goal based intervention based on up to date evidence on the treatment and management of CP.

Occupational therapy plays a large role in the development of a child with Cerebral Palsy. The occupational therapist is able to assist with assessment, intervention and recommendations in regards to your childs development in fine motor skills, play, self care and cognition as well as address equipment or environmental modification needs. At Therapies for Kids we are able to work in a consultative way to give ideas and therapy programs for home and school however what we do best is to work with you and your child regularly to directly provide the intervention to your child in addition to a home and preschool/school program.

Our Occupational Therapists aim to assist your child with:

In order to achieve the above treatment may include:

Benefits of regular occupational therapy include:

As cerebral palsy is a lifelong condition occupational therapy can be beneficial throughout a persons life particularly at transitions such as starting preschool, kindergarten, high school as well as age stages that may impact participation and independence.

What you can do

Assisting a child with cerebral palsy can be a complex task for parents. Keeping a record of all clinic appointments, X-ray reports and medical reports is invaluable to assist in planning treatment and allowing preparation of reports as necessary.

Children with Cerebral Palsy need frequent practise of activities in order to build the strength and coordination required for specific activities and movements however some children will resist certain activities because they are difficult and this can be a challenge for some parents. Therapy activities practised at home need to be done in a playful, fun and rewarding way, with great excitement even for the little achievements. Your therapist will be able to assist with ideas on how to make activities fun and how they can be built into your everyday life to make use of natural opportunities that the skill can be performed. Even simply passing your child food or a toy in a specific way can be a great way to encourage the correct reach and grasp worked on during therapy and may go unnoticed by your child.

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Cerebral Palsy Occupational Therapy for | Therapies For Kids