Cerebral Palsy: A Complete Guide for Caregiving

When their child has cerebral palsy, parents need answers. They seek up-to-date advice they can count on to make sure their child has the best possible health and well-being. For three editions now, a team of experts associated with the Cerebral Palsy Program at the Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children have shared vital information through this authoritative resource for parents, who will turn to it time and time again as their child grows.

The new edition is thoroughly revised to incorporate the latest medical thinking, including advances in diagnosis, treatment, and terminology. Every chapter includes new content on topics ranging from genetics to pain, temperature control, palliative care, why growth suppression is sometimes recommended, the Affordable Care Act, and how to make it easier for siblings to cope. Chapter 8 has been entirely rewritten to better help adolescents prepare for the transition to adulthood. New classification systems, such as the gross motor function classification system and the Functional Mobility System, are described and explained. And a number of emerging therapies—including marijuana oil, cord blood transfusion, deep brain stimulation, epilepsy surgery, and growing spinal rods - are explored.

Intended for parents, grandparents, teachers, therapists, and others who care for and about people with cerebral palsy and cerebral palsy-like conditions, this is an essential and compassionate guide.

Table of Contents

Foreword, by Joan Lenett Whinston

Preface

Acknowledgments

PART ONE

1. What Is Cerebral Palsy?
2. An Overview of Early Child Development
3. Medical Problems Associated with Cerebral Palsy
4. Intellectual, Psychological, and Social Development
5. Hemiplegia
6. Diplegia
7. Quadriplegia
8. The Adult with Cerebral Palsy
9. How the Health Care System Works
10. Financing Care for the Child with Cerebral Palsy
11. Navigating the Educational System
12. Being an Advocate for Your Child

PART TWO

• Taking Care of Yourself When You Care for Others
• Protecting the Caregiver's Back: Basic Body Mechanics
• Making Things Easier for You and Your Child
• Choosing Appropriate Seating
• Choosing and Using Car Seats
• About Wheelchair Maintenance
• Pressure Management Awareness
• Choosing a Stander
• About Walkers and Gait Trainers
• About BracesChoosing the Correct Shoes
• Increasing Independence with Service Dogs
• Managing the System
• Working with a Case Manager
• Letters of Medical Necessity
• Occupations for Adults with Cerebral Palsy
• About Hospitalization
• Keeping Medical History Records
• Life Planning Process
• About Casts
• Using Nutritional Boosters
• Managing Tube Feedings
• Providing Oral Care
• Toilet Training Your Child
• Giving an Enema
• Giving Rectal Medications or Suppositories
• Suctioning Techniques

PART THREE

• From Achilles Tendon Lengthening to Vocational Rehabilitation

Resources

Index

""Addresses the many complexities and uncertainties related to this diagnosis. At the same time, it provides the information parents, grandparents, caregivers, and health professionals need—everything from medical, educational, and psychosocial implications to wheelchair maintenance and dental care.""
- - Exceptional Parent

""This book is well structured, easy to read, and gives answers to all questions related to the management of children and adults with CP.""
- - European Journal of Pediatrics