July 27, 2007
Makaton Language Development and Sign Language for Children with Cerebral Palsy
Makaton is a popular program used with children with cerebral palsy that are having trouble with communication. The program starts the family off using pictures, symbols and sign language with the aim to have speech take over.
From the Makaton Site:
This might surprise you, as you would perhaps think that signing would prevent speech developing. But research suggests very strongly that this is not the case. In fact the opposite occurs, as signing seems to positively encourage speech development. Many hundreds of thousands of children and adults have been helped significantly in this manner.
Many families of children with cerebral palsy have found the technique extremely useful and a better solution than sole use of communication boards.
Have you had experience with this program? Please share your success (or not!) with us. Just post in the comments section!
Find out more about therapies and treatments for children with cerebral palsy.
Nice Communication Boards for Children with Cerebral Palsy
Using a communication board will help children who are non-verbal or are having difficulty getting their wants and needs across to family, friends and caregivers.
Particularly good are the products from Mayer-Johnson company based in California.
They sell software that allows you to make your own personalized communications boards and communication aids as well as traditional aids.
Visit their site at www.mayer-johnson.com to ask for a catalogue or browse their products online. Some of their products, particularity the software, is expensive. It is a good value but pricey.
You may be eligible for Lifetime Benefits which will pay for item like these contact
one of our 4MyChild Care Specialists now to see if your family is eligible.
July 22, 2007
“Locks of Love”
Inspiring story about a young girl with cerebral palsy donating her hair to “Locks of Love.” Locks of Love is a public non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children under age 18 suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis.
If anyone is good example of the fact that you’re never too young to make a difference, it’s Hannah Golay.
At just 5 years old, Golay recently decided to cut off her long hair in order to donate it to the organization Locks of Love, which makes wigs out of donated hair for children suffering from illnesses that result in hair loss.
“My hair was really long,†Golay said. “I donated it to Locks of Love. It’s pretty.â€
Even at her young age, Golay has seen first-hand how illness and hair loss can affect children.
At 2 years old, Golay was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and her parents were told she might never be able to walk.
Cerebral palsy is a neurological disorder that appears in infancy or early childhood and permanently affects body movement and muscle coordination.
To read entire story visit here. More inspirational stories about cerebral palsy.
July 19, 2007
Bathing: Tip for Giving Young Children and Children with Cerebral Palsy a Bath
Here is an idea- trying to manage a slippery child in the bath is difficult- making sure that they don’t slip under the water is a big concern – sometimes you wish you had three hands!
Here is an idea- cut a pool noodle in half ( or smaller) and use it to prop up your children’s head and neck to they don’t slip under.
Do you have a neat tip or idea that you’ve discovered and want to share? Please post in comments section!
Great Idea for Traveling with Kids with CP or other Disabilities : Lost and Found Temporary Tattoos
Here is absolutely fantastic idea for families travelling with kids to theme parks, field trips, airports, shopping malls, etc. These are temporary tattoos (available in different styles for girls and boys) that says “If Lost ….” and you fill in name and contact info with marker. These are great for kids who tend to “run” away. One of the styles is made just for children with autism. You can also have the tattooed custom made with your company or organization logo on them.
You can get more information or order on the Lost and Found Temporary Tattoo website.
July 18, 2007
Hippotherapy- More Than Just Horseplay
An exceptional article in Washington Post about Hippotherapy and cerebral palsy. If you need financial help getting this treatment for your child, please call us at 1-800-4MyChild or contact one of our online 4MyChild Care Specialists now.
By Eliza McGraw
Special to The Washington Post
Tuesday, July 17, 2007; Page HE01
One spring Saturday morning in Great Falls, occupational therapist Colleen Zanin prepares for a day of treating clients. Instead of assembling floor mats and exercise balls, however, she is checking the halter of a tall gray horse named Traveler.
Three-year-old Zachary Hoffman is Zanin’s first client of the day. He arrives crying because he had to leave his bagel behind, but once on horseback he’s happy and responsive, looking directly at Zanin and reaching for Traveler’s mane. During his session, Zanin has Zachary ride backward, hang rings on a post and give Traveler voice commands.
Zachary, who has low muscle tone, developmental delays and problems with sensory integration, is one of a growing number of participants in hippotherapy, which uses the natural movements of the horse as a tool for physical, occupational and sometimes speech therapy.
While people such as Zanin and Sharalyn Hoffman, Zachary’s mother, have no doubt that these sessions help Zachary, hippotherapy is rarely covered by health insurance, partly because it does not lend itself to the kind of statistical evaluation that measures more conventional medical treatment.
Nonetheless, it is sought out by people who believe that riding a horse can bring psychological as well as physical benefits.
Read more information on hippotherapy treatment for cerebral palsy.
July 17, 2007
New Virtual Technology Helps Rehab Kids with Cerebral Palsy
Simulations Allow Disabled Children To Improve Balance, Have Fun
(CBS) NEW YORK Morgan Chisolm, a 6-year-old cerebral palsy patient, is getting a big boost in her physical therapy, with a new system that makes her sessions fun and productive.
Chisolm, born three months premature, suffered a broken blood vessel in infancy, which left her with cerebral palsy. The illness, Morgan noticed, has made her different from others around her.
“The way God made me — there’s a problem.” she said. “With my legs, they don’t work like other people.”
“She’s not able to balance like you and I,” said Jennifer Chisolm, Morgan’s mother. “Her feet do move, not perfectly, but you know those muscles in her abdomen are just not coming in, so she just can’t balance.”
Thanks to some technological advancements, Morgan is participating in a unique form of physical therapy that has improved her balancing skills without her even noticing.
A new form of chroma-key technology uses a green screen (similar to TV weather forecasts) to place children inside their video games, allowing them to downhill ski, kick a soccer ball and score a touchdown from their own living rooms.
To read the entire story visit here. For more information about cerebral palsy treatments and therapies.
July 12, 2007
Possible Causes: Stress Linked To Cerebral Palsy
PARIS, July 12 Chronic mild stress in pregnant mothers may increase the risk that their offspring will develop cerebral palsy, according to a French study in mice.
Dr. Pierre Gressens, of France’s Institut National de la Sante et de la Recherche Medicale, used a mouse model to test whether exposure to minimal but repeated stress throughout gestation would make the offspring more vulnerable to brain lesions similar to those observed in children with cerebral palsy.
In the study, the scientists adjusted the normal cycle of light and dark that the pregnant mice were accustomed to for half of the mice, subjecting them to a mild level of stress. Then the researchers exposed the brains of the developing fetuses to injury.
When the brains of the young mice were examined on birth, Gressens and his team found that the offspring born from stressed mothers showed brain lesions about twice as big as those in offspring of unstressed mothers, according to the study published in The Journal of Neuroscience.
Find out more information about causes of cerebral palsy.
July 3, 2007
Cerebral Palsy: Papaya Enzyme to Help Drooling
Try Papaya Extract. You can buy this at any health food store, drug store, GNC and even some Wal-Marts or Target. It is often used to treat heartburn but some physiotherapist recommend trying it to help reduce drooling.
The capsules are very sweet and candy like. Follow direction on bottle for dosage.
