9 misconceptions about cerebral palsy you need to break up with

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

The first Wednesday of October is World Cerebral Palsy Day. Check what you know about this condition.

1. Cerebral palsy - always with the prefix "children"

What is Cerebral Palsy is called cerebral palsy? a whole group of conditions in which it is difficult for a person to control his movements and maintain a posture. Such conditions develop in the fetus in the womb or in very early childhood, and this is the most common Cerebral Palsy - an overview in the world of physical impairment in children. In Russia, the diagnosis of cerebral palsy, according to the 2018 Statistical Collection of the Ministry of Health, was established in 2, 8 out of 1,000 children from 0 to 17 years old.

Therefore, in Russian practice, they use the term "infantile cerebral palsy" - cerebral palsy. But a person remains in this state for life, and in modern international practice, it is customary for About Cerebral Palsy to say “cerebral palsy”, omitting the additional definition of “childish”.

2. Cerebral palsy is a progressive condition

The most common form of cerebral palsy is characterized by Spastic Cerebral Palsy with increased muscle tone, but it can also be decreased. Sometimes the condition is accompanied by impaired coordination, and in some forms of Types of cerebral palsy involuntary, uncontrolled movements occur.

Such conditions do not progress, but they also do not go away.

3. Cerebral palsy is the result of medical error

Causes and Risk Factors of Cerebral Palsy leads to damage to the central nervous system at the earliest stages of its formation: during intrauterine development or in the first weeks and months of life. This happens under the influence of various factors. These include genetics, traumatic brain injury in infants, metabolic disorders (for example, severe jaundice in newborns), infections in the expectant mother or child (for example, encephalitis or meningitis in the early neonatal period).

Birth trauma Birth Injury causes cerebral palsy relatively Cerebral palsy in children: a clinical overview is rare. And the most common factor A Systematic Review on Etiology, Epidemiology, and Treatment of Cerebral Palsy risk is prematurity. The earlier the baby is born and the less weight is, the higher the risk of Premature Birth and Cerebral Palsy. This is especially true for children born before the 28th week or weighing less than 1.5 kg.

To prevent the development of cerebral palsy, it is important not to transport a premature baby from the hospital to the intensive care unit, it must be in the same building. This problem is solved. The survival rate of premature babies in Russia is 98%, the Ministry of Health said perinatal centers. There are more and more of them in Russia, they are getting better equipped, the level of knowledge and qualifications of doctors is increasing. This makes premature birth less likely to cause cerebral palsy.

Methods with proven efficacy that are used in intensive care for nursing premature babies make it possible to achieve significant success. For example, in Australia, the incidence of cerebral palsy has decreased to 1.5 cases per 1,000 and continues to decline, becoming Cerebral Palsy in children: a systematic review of intervention programs for less severe forms combined with other disorders.

4. A person with cerebral palsy cannot communicate

It is really difficult for some people with such a diagnosis to speak, their words may be incomprehensible to others. However, speech is far from the only form of communication. People with cerebral palsy can use communication boards, special programs on a tablet or computer.

An example of such an application is LINKa Project LINKa. A person types text in it in a convenient way: types on a regular keyboard, selects pictures on the tablet screen, or presses only one button - and this signal is converted into a voice message.

5. A person with cerebral palsy cannot become a productive member of society

The accessible environment, modern technology and the use of special equipment enable people with cerebral palsy to move around, communicate, study, work and make friends.

Famous people with this diagnosis include actor RJ Mitt, who starred as RJ Mitte - IMDb in the TV series Breaking Bad, writer and artist Christy Brown, author of the novel My Left Foot, the adaptation of which won two Academy Awards.

In Russia, one of the most famous people with cerebral palsy is Ivan Bakaidov, programmer, developer of the LINKa program, nominee for the Rating of the most promising Russians under 30. 100 nominees for the ranking of the 30 most promising Russians under 30 according to Forbes in 2020 in the Social Practices category.

Most of the barriers to living a normal life and being a productive member of society are not related to the person himself, but to the environment. Due to the lack of ramps, elevators, specially equipped toilets, and means of transportation, people with cerebral palsy cannot participate in the life of society: study, go to the office, visit museums and concert halls, or, for example, practice in the pool.

6. All people with cerebral palsy have intellectual disabilities

This is not true. More than half of Intellectual disability in cerebral palsy: a population-based retrospective study of people with cerebral palsy do not have intellectual disabilities. Sometimes it can be difficult to assess the intelligence of a child who does not move independently and does not use speech - he simply cannot answer in the way that typically developing children respond.

Assistance and education programs available, special equipment that allows you to maintain a stable, symmetrical posture in a lying, sitting or standing position, and the use of alternative communication Alternative and complementary communication - all this allows children to develop and realize their abilities.

7. Cerebral palsy is curable

Alas, modern medicine cannot completely cure cerebral palsy, but there are many rehabilitation methods that make it easier for a person to live, to provide him with maximum independence.

Hundreds of new assistance programs appear every year. Not all of them are proven to be effective. Special systematic reviews that make up international research groups help to understand which programs of assistance should be used and which methods are best to avoid. The latest full review of Cerebral Palsy in Children: a systematic review of intervention programs in Russian is published on the Naked Heart Online platform.

8. All people with cerebral palsy do not walk or find it very difficult to walk

Indeed, many people with this diagnosis have difficulty developing gross and fine motor skills. But many walk on their own or use various devices for this.

Thanks to walkers, orthoses, mechanical and electric chairs and other special technical aids, more and more people with cerebral palsy move around without assistance.

This becomes possible, among other things, thanks to modern rehabilitation programs. A variety of professionals are involved in the development of movements and the selection of special technical means: doctors and physical therapy instructors, rehabilitation therapists, special teachers, orthopedists. In recent years, two new helping areas have appeared in Russia: physical therapy and occupational therapy Ergotherapy.

9. With cerebral palsy, a person cannot have healthy children

Compared to others, people with this diagnosis do not have Having Children When You Have Cerebral Palsy at an increased risk of miscarriage or premature birth. Neither women nor men can inherit their physical condition. Around the world, many people with cerebral palsy have successfully given birth and continue to give birth to healthy children.