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.
June 30, 2007
Orthotic Boots for Children With Cerebral Palsy: The Next Step in Pediatric Rehabilitative Boots
For Immediate Release
The Next Step in Pediatric Rehabilitative Boots
ASQ grant helps Miami University students develop
breakthrough design to benefit children with cerebral palsy
MILWAUKEE, July 18, 2005 Â A grant from the
American Society for Quality (ASQ) Biomedical
Division awarded to Miami University of Ohio has
led to the design of a new and improved active
orthotic boot for children afflicted with
cerebral palsy (CP). The prototype, designed to
assist patients in their rehabilitation process,
was unveiled at ASQ’s World Conference in May
2005 by the team of students from the
university’s manufacturing and mechanical engineering department.
“Children who have spastic diplegia CP often will
walk on their toes,†said Michael Bailey-Van
Kuren, Ph.D., assistant professor at Miami
University. “Many methods of rehabilitation, with
existing problems, are applied to curb this form
of cerebral palsy. With new materials and
controls technology, new design, and new system
components, we hope our orthotic boot leads to
improved rehabilitative therapy.â€
Recognizing a need for improvement in
rehabilitative orthotic boots, and working with
healthcare professionals, Bailey-Van Kuren led a
team of three students to develop a prototype
that seeks to advance the rehabilitation of
children with CP. Spastic diplegia, a commonly
occurring form of CP, often requires surgery in
later years to lengthen calf muscles.
Current orthotic boots provide stability without
actuation. The new device incorporates actuators
and a microcontroller that will monitor patient
feedback through foot angle and pressure exerted
against the boot. As each step is taken, the
microcontroller will analyze pressure and input
signals while providing output voltage to the
system actuators. The magnitude and duration of
the system output can be tuned and customized for
each patient according to the recommendations of
a professional pediatric physical therapist.
The new active orthotic boot hopes to alleviate
several problems that exist in the rehabilitation
process of children with spastic diplegia CP. One
is the inability of therapists to effectively
enforce daily stretching routines for patients.
Second, dynamic ankle foot orthotic (DAFO) braces
hold the patient’s foot in a stretched position
that prevents the ability to walk normally.
Third, the current design and serial casting
cause (s) itching, loss in muscle strength and
discomfort to the user. Also, in order to achieve
the ultimate goal of normal patient walking, the
boot must be equipped to measure results and track progress.
A system of components with enhanced designs has
been created for the current orthotic boot to
overcome existing problems. The system actuators
have the ability to move and stretch leg muscles
as part of a daily physical therapy routine.
Shape Memory Alloys (SMA) has been implemented to
provide the structure and motion needed for
therapy and the flexibility for added comfort.
System sensors, placed at the ball of the foot,
will differentiate when the patient is sitting
versus standing and monitor the interaction
between the user and boot. The electrical system
and configuration will help rehabilitate the
patient by constantly monitoring and adjusting to
the therapist input incorporated in the microcontroller program.
As the prototype and new active orthotic boot
take the next step – refinement of the original
concept – and ultimately completion, Bailey-Van
Kuren is proud of the work completed by his team
of students. “The new device could improve home
therapy for children with cerebral palsy and be
applied to other rehabilitative devices,†added Bailey-Van Kuren.
To highlight the potential of quality to benefit
humanity, ASQ provides grants and knowledge
transfer to improve our communities and life.
Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, ASQ is the
world’s leading authority on quality. With more
than 100,000 individual and organizational
members, ASQ offers technologies, concepts,
tools, and training to quality professionals,
quality practitioners, and everyday consumers,
encouraging all to Make Good Great®.
For more information, visit http://www.asq.org. Find out more about cerebral palsy treatments and therapies at 4MyChild.
June 28, 2007
Free Oral Motor Therapy Exercise Sites Online
Here are some sites that offer free exercises for oral motor therapy. Do you know of an oral motor therapy site? Please share with us! Just post in the comments section.
Are you unable to pay for speech therapist? We may may be able to help. Call 1-800-4MyChild to find out if your child is eligible for free speech therapy.
You can also chat online with one of our Care Specialists now.
A PDF file that has some good exercises: http://www.clarian.org/pdf/neuro_oral_motor_exercises.pdf
Designs for kids with cleft palate, but they work equally well for anyone : http://www.widesmiles.org/cleftlinks/WS-563.html
Excellent oral motor exercises, games, etc : http://www.speakingofspeech.com/generic.html?pid=1
http://www.altonweb.com/cs/downsyndrome/index.htm?page=fiocca.html
Good info here: http://www.speech-therapy-on-video.com/oralmotorexercises.html
Another PDF muscle based oral motor therapy : http://www.mshausa.org/2007/Purdy.pdf
More Information about exercise for children with cerebral palsy.
June 26, 2007
Financial Help for Summer Camps from Your Local ELKS
Your local ELKS society can often help with coming up with extra money for Respite Camps and Therapy camps for your special needs child.
Many non-profit organizations are struggling with finances, and where they could have provided full scholarships in the past, now most are having to charge a fee to attend horseback riding camps, etc.
You can go to ELKS website to find your nearest local chapter.
Here is more information on state and other assistance for children with cerebral palsy.
