Parents with children suffering from cerebral palsy have been advised to accept them and also take them to hospital for treatment.
In an interview with Hivisasa.com on Wednesday, Kiambu Level Five Hospital medical superintendent David Kariuki said that most parents are afraid of taking their children to hospital for fear of being stigmatised by society.
Kariuki further noted that since it is a condition that most children are born with, most parents assume that it cannot be treated or managed hence see no need of taking them to hospital.
“Most people are not aware that cerebral palsy is a group of permanent disorders that appear in early childhood and the signs and symptoms vary from child to child,” said the doctor.
He added that most of the common problems witnessed include poor coordination, stiff and weak muscles, trouble with swallowing or speaking, tremors among others. Also, there is difficulty with the ability to think or reason and seizures may also be witnessed but it only occurs in one third of the cases.
Cerebral palsy is as a result of the brain being affected by lack of oxygen either during or just before labour.
The medical superintendent clarified that the child may have delayed milestones depending on the part of the brain that is affected.
He said that it is not curable but occupational therapy helps to improve the child’s ability to walk, hold things and perform other simple basic tasks.
“Occupational therapy is a type of treatment that assists in movement issues, medication may be administered and it’s upon the parent to regularly take the child to hospital for therapy and for check up on the muscle progress,” Said the doctor. The importance of physiotherapy and occupational therapy is to focus on encouraging the affected person’s movement skills such as sitting, walking and playing using aids such as walking sticks, wheel chairs and supportive seating equipment,” he explained.
Special education is also necessary for children suffering the condition. This kind of education is offered in special schools by a specially trained teacher who understands the condition because it needs patience to teach such a child, because of the slow brain coordination, he reiterated.