Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
My son (ERFAN) was diagnosed with the cerebral palsy when he was about one year old.
When he was born everything was ok! According to his pre-mature, the doctor said that we
should send him to another hospital, where there is equipped with many modern incubators
and he should be fine in there. They took an ambulance and put my son in and my husband
accompanied him. On the way to hospital, the nurse shouted that my son couldn't breath
and his color is changed, and asked the other nurse to hand her the oxygen tank, and a few
second later she was shocked by the tank that was empty, and turned to the driver and said,
drive fast, he can not breath. when they reached to the hospital my son couldn't
breath. His color turned blue, and the doctor was very disappointed and told my husband
that there is a little chance for him to survive, he said that, I can inject a drug which may
help his lung to react, but the chance is less than 20%. my poor husband accepted and
said do whatever you can. After that injection, surprisingly, my son
could breath,....... but.... he had oxygen cut,... CEREBRAL PALSY....
the word was meaning less to us at that time, but day by day, we heard many many times:
CEREBRAL PALSY.... when he was 9 months old, we noticed that
he is not moving like the other kids, his fingers were stuck to the other fingers, he
couldn't sit, his eyes were crossed, and his legs muscles were stiffed. He was inactive,
and just laying down in his bed. by the time he was a year old, we took him
to the neurologist for evaluation. He said that oxygen cut affected his brain and limited
his movement and this would stay with him for rest of his life. He would be dependent
on others, he can not do his jobs by himself. We asked the doctor if anything we can do
to help him to improve? He said;" no, just pray for him, he is not a normal kid, if you
think that he can play a piano, or play any sports, or he can use computer's keyboard,
YOU ARE WRONG. YOU SHOULD ACCEPT THIS SITUATION AND LIVE WITH IT.
When I came out of his office, all my hopes and dreams for my newly born son were disappeared.
I was so confused. I didn't know what to do and how to cope with the new situation.
We started to search about what CEREBRAL PALSY is. First of all we took him to the ophthalmologist.
His diagnosis was Strabismic. A week later his eyes were operated.
As the surgeon told me prior to the operation, he did not have any bandage on his eyes, and
from the beginning he could see. First of all he didn't recognize me, and cried, but
when I talked to him and gently touched his face and his neck, he stared at me and stared.
I saw his very beautiful eyes, they were light brown. The surgeon and the nurses were looking
at us and were smiling. After six months later, I took a ticket and
went to Switzerland, where my mother and my sister were living. I took my son to a team
of physician, neurologist and psychologist for consultation. They confirmed the diagnosis.
They told me that he is blessed because oxygen cut did not affect his intelligence, and suggested
to have a physical therapy for his fingers and his legs. I thought that there is no one
to help my son and I. I was his mother, and I could do something.
I tried to pass many courses regarding what cerebral palsy is, and its therapy, physical
therapy, finger therapy, and massaging the stiff muscles. I had a full time job. I spent
and used every minute of my life working on his body.
I was in love. My working on his hands and his legs, with so much affection, gave me
more energy and love. After any massage, he took my hands and kissed them. Day by day
I was motivated to help him to overcome his limitation. I promised my-self to beat his
limitation as far as I could. I knew that he should be in a group of normal kids to
see his limitations and to overcome them. My husband and I quit our jobs, sold one of
our properties, and open a pre-school and kindergarten, called:
Bagh-e-Minoo. In Farsi, Bagh means Garden, and Minoo means Heaven. We chose this name
because it was true, where ever the kids are involved, there is heaven, because the truth
is that the kids are so pure and innocent, and they should be placed in heaven.
At that time my son was 2 years old. Caring, nurturing, and supporting the kids
were all of our goals. We did not have any experiences managing pre-school, and pre-schoolers.
But we could. Everyday we involved ourselves in learning and studying. The more we study,
the more we were successful. After 2 years, my son put the wheelchair away. He could walk,
but not as fast as the normal kids walk. I took a private swimming, piano, karate, and
painting instructors for my son. I should say that these facilities were for all of
the kids. By the age of 4 and a half he could swim.
By the age of six he could paint, by the age of seven he could play piano and touch the
computer's key-board. But with all of those, he was not as fast as the other kids were.
His improvement was very satisfactory. When I took him to Switzerland for check-up
again, the doctor couldn't believe that I was successful and spent so much time with
my son, he took me to the special needs section, and told me :
" look ! All the parents drop their children off in the morning, and leave, and ask us
to do all the work, they don't participate in the therapy. That's why their improvement
is not noticeable. But you spent so much time and involved yourself in his improvement and
got reward." the doctor injected Botox in his legs to loose and decrease the tension
of his muscles. After Botox, massage was so easy for me, and my hands were more comfortable,
because the muscles were not so stiffed and hard as before.
My son, changed our life. The early diagnosis and treatment greatly improved the quality
of my son's life. Sometimes I wished to take my son to our first
neurologist who told us that we should accept his limitation, and he can not live independently.
He under-estimated us. He couldn't imagine that we CAN DO IT!
Now my son is 12 years old, and he goes to the school with special education. His improvement
is considerably high, he wants to be an animator. today is his birthday. Happy birth day ERFAN!
Haleh Salmanmanesh HD 7/ Instructor: Dr.Donna King
Date: May/ 15/2013
Cerebral palsy: is a disorder of muscle movement and coordination.
It is caused by an injury to a child's brain that occurs before birth or during infancy.
It affects the part of the brain that controls body movement. People with cerebral palsy
can have other problems such as seizures, decreased ability to learn, and problems hearing,
seeing, and thinking. There is no cure for cerebral palsy, but early diagnosis and treatment
can greatly improve quality of life.
Causes of Cerebral Palsy: Premature infants have a slightly higher risk
for cerebral palsy. Causes for cerebral palsy in early infancy are:
*low oxygen levels (hypoxia) *severe jaundice
*brain infections such as encephalitis, meningitis, and *** simplex infections
*bleeding into the brain *head injuries (due to accidents, a fall or
child abuse) *maternal infections such as rubella (German
measles)
Types of Cerebral Palsy: spastic: the most common type of cerebral
palsy; reflexes are exaggerated and muscle movement is stiff
athetoid cerebral palsy: marked by involuntary, slow, writhing movements.
dystonic cerebral palsy: trunk movements are more affected than limb muscles, resulting
in a twisted posture ataxic: voluntary muscle movements are not
well coordinated hypotonic: muscle tone is decreased or floppy
mixed: combinations of the symptoms listed above
Symptoms of Cerebral Palsy: Symptoms of cerebral palsy vary according
to type, and range from mild to severe. Some of the more common symptoms include delayed
milestones like controlling head, rolling over and sitting up. Some babies hold on to
their infantile reflexes, like the startle reflex, that usually disappears after 6 months
of age. Young children may develop a right or left "handedness" before 18 months. That
could indicate a problem with not being able to use the other hand properly. Abnormal muscle
tone is very common. Mental retardation and seizures are also seen in people with cerebral
Spastic Cerebral Palsy: In spastic cerebral palsy, muscles are very
tight and may get worse with time. This tightness will cause a decrease in joint flexibility.
People suffering from this symptom will have an abnormal walking posture. For example,
knees may be touching or crossed, the arms may be tucked in at the sides, and there may
be a scissors-like movement of the legs. Children may walk on their toes. Muscle weakness or
paralysis may also be present. Symptoms can affect one side of the body, one arm, one
leg, or both arms and both legs. Children with cerebral palsy may also have
speech, hearing and vision difficulties as well as bladder and bowel problems.
Symptoms of other types of cerebral palsy may also include floppy muscle tone and lack
of muscle coordination. Tremors or an unsteady gait are also common. People who have cerebral
palsy may have difficulty with speech, chewing, and swallowing, drooling and irregular breathing.
Classification of Cerebral Palsy: Cerebral palsy is classified according to
the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS). GMFCS focuses on what the child is
able to do rather than what his or her limitations are. GMFCS has five levels and is age specific.
Emphasis is on the following capabilities: *the ability to sit
*capability for movement and mobility *charting independence
*use of adaptive technology
Assistive Aides: *eyeglasses
*hearing aids *walking aids
*braces *wheelchairs
Other types of treatment for cerebral palsy include:
*speech therapy *physical therapy
*occupational therapy (to learn how to *modify tasks and adapt)
*social services consultations *respite care for caregivers