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According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, cerebral palsy is chronic and there is no cure. Treatment can improve a person's life from childhood on.
Outlook
With early treatment, children with cerebral palsy can engage in normal activities. Treatment improves muscle control and coordination.
Permanence
A child with cerebral palsy suffered a brain injury or infection before birth, in birth or during her first two years. The condition never heals because the brain did not develop properly.
Physical and Occupational Therapy
Doctors recommend physical therapy to strengthen muscles and improve coordination. Occupational therapy teaches children to use their abilities effectively to achieve their goals.
Speech Therapy
Communication problems lessen when a speech therapist teaches a child to improve mouth and tongue control.
Medicine and Surgery
Prescriptions like dopaminergic drugs and benzodiazepines limit seizures and alleviate feeding and breathing problems. Surgery can remedy an anatomical abnormality or relieve muscles that have become tight.
Source:
Neurology Now; Cerebral Palsy; Elizabeth Stump; September/October 2008
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