In the News

By Lee Vander Loop CP Family Network Editor When my first daughter was born, she exhibited a total absence of any type of oral motor skill and necessitated a feeding tube from birth. Her birth injuries occurred as a result of “cord complications of unknown origin.” When our second child was born with cord complications,... Read More

When you’re having a child, all you really care about is that he or she is healthy. Unfortunately, life doesn’t always work out that way. My husband and I discovered this the day our son, AJ, had a major seizure when he was 5 months old. Following that were diagnoses of cerebral palsy (CP), epilepsy... Read More

Respite care. How many parents really take advantage of this short-term break from caring for a family member with cerebral palsy? As a single mother, I was offered this many times, but never took advantage of it. Read More

One in six children in the U.S. lives with a chronic disability. Some will be placed in a residential facility for long-term care. For parents of some children with cerebral palsy, this can be an excruciating and exhausting choice. I know this firsthand. Read More

It should not be surprising that we received a lot of feedback on the community question: “How do you explain your child’s cerebral palsy to other siblings to help them understand?” There are more than six million people with disabilities living in the United States alone, and most of these people have brothers and sisters. Read More

Selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR) is an irreversible neurosurgery performed on the lower spinal cord to treat spasticity, especially in the lower limbs. A neurosurgeon identifies nerve rootlets in the spinal cord that are sending abnormal messages and cuts them. Read More

Spastic diplegia is a form of cerebral palsy that primarily affects the legs, hips, and pelvis. Arms can also be affected, but to a lesser degree. Considered a less severe form of cerebral palsy, children born with spastic diplegia usually have average to slightly below average intelligence and language skills. Read More

In a previous blog, we covered what clinical trials are, the 4 FDA-mandated phases of a trial, the benefits and risks of participating, what current clinical trials relate to cerebral palsy and what might be involved in qualifying for one. The next step is learning how to find clinical trials in your area. Read More

As with most medical conditions, cerebral palsy does not have just one treatment. Considered “incurable,” the condition of cerebral palsy results in a lifelong quest for improvements, not cures. Read More

With 2013 behind us, we reflect back on the year gone by and the medical, social and technological accomplishments it brought us. As parents of children with special needs, few of us have time to review the scores of media outlets in search of the latest therapies or medical and technology breakthroughs that made the news. Read More