What are the important symptoms of Cerebral Palsy?
Families should be careful about the symptoms of Cerebral Palsy. At this point, it is of great importance whether the baby has problems in developmental stages. If the child cannot sit when he/she should be able to sit, if he/she cannot hold his/her head when he/she should hold his/her head, if his/her interest in the environment is less than his/her peers, if primitive reflexes persist for a long time or if he/she chooses sides, he/she should definitely be evaluated. Since pediatricians examine children during these periods, their warnings should be taken seriously by families. When necessary, they should be referred to centers that follow up risky babies and should be evaluated by a pediatric neurologist and a pediatric physiotherapist. Cerebral Palsy may present with retardation in all body functions, as well as in a child who has grown up for years without any symptoms. The intelligence of an individual with Cerebral Palsy may be very close to normal or it may be more retarded. In addition, vision, hearing and other functions may also be impaired.
How is Cerebral Palsy Diagnosed?
Cerebral Palsy can be diagnosed as a result of clinical evaluation and physical examination of the suspected individual, and tests such as MRI and EMG also help in the diagnosis. When the child is clinically seen to
have developmental delay and findings are observed, the diagnosis is made by the patient’s doctor together with the results of examinations and tests such as MRI. Sometimes families may think that their child does not have CP, saying that they have had an MRI and that there is no problem. However, it is necessary to be very careful in this regard; there are children whose MRI is very close to normal and the disease can be seen, as well as children whose MRI indicates a serious problem but who develop very close to normal.
Treatment after Diagnosis of Cerebral Palsy
First of all, it should be emphasized that CP is not a standard pathology with the same findings in all patients; therefore, treatment varies according to the patient. This treatment continues And it requires a complete teamwork. There are many stages of treatment and it is carried out with the cooperation of healthcare professionals from different branches and caregivers of the individual. The pediatric physiotherapist is very important in this disease, because the physiotherapist is the person who spends the longest time with the individual with CP during treatment. The physiotherapist should observe the work and refer the child to a neurologist if he/she sees a problem in the developmental picture. If he/she thinks that there is a problem with the child’s locomotor system (skeleton-muscle-movement), he/she should refer the child to a pediatric orthopedist. The task of pediatric orthopedists in the treatment of CP is to apply various methods to keep children standing and walking.
