Since March is Cerebral Palsy (CP) month, we'd like to give you a brief overview of the diagnosis. CP is a broad term used to describe a group of chronic movement or posture disorders. "Cerebral" refers to the brain, while "Palsy" refers to a physical disorder, such as a lack of muscle control. Cerebral Palsy is not caused by problems with the muscles or nerves, but rather with the brain's ability to adequately control the body. CP is a non-progressive disorder that is the result of an insult to the brain during pregnancy, deliery, or after birth.  The insult or brain damage can be due to several things such as infection, lack of oxygen during delivery or shortly after birth, a bleed in the brain due to prematurity or other causes, etc. There are different types of CP.  The most common ones are listed below:

 

Spastic CP: This is the most common diagnosis. If your child's CP is "spastic," the muscles are rigid and jerky, and they have difficulty getting around. There are three types of spastic CP

Athetoid CP: Athetoid is the second most frequently diagnosed type of CP. These children and adults often have normal intelligence, but their entire bodies will be affected by muscle problems. They often have fluctuating muscle tone or different tone in different areas of the body. Involuntary, uncontrollable movements are often present.

 

It is estimated that nearly two children out of every thousand born in this country have some type of cerebral palsy. Studies have shown that at least 5,000 infants and toddlers and 1,200-1,500 preschoolers are diagnosed with cerebral palsy each year. In all, approximately 800,000 people in this country have some degree of cerebral palsy.  There is no cure for CP and while the initial injury to the brain is considered non-progressive, the secondary muscular impairments can be progressive and greatly affect quality of life if not treated.  Treatments and therapies will vary greatly depending on the type and severity of CP.  Typically, once a child is identified to have CP, they begin to see a team of doctors and clinicians including physical, occupational, and speech therapists.  More severely involved children may require increased medical and surgical intervention such as seizure medication, feeding tube placement, tendon releases and botx injections for spasticity, etc. 

 

There are many charities and foundations that are dedicated to helping those who suffer from a condition like Cerebral Palsy. If you would like to make a donation in honor of CP awareness month or would like to find out more about these organizations click on the links below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The UnitedHealthcare Children's Foundation is a non-profit organization that offers financial assistance for families who have children with special needs.  They offer grants up to $5,000 to pay for medical services and equipment that are not covered or not fully covered by private insurance. In 2007, they provided 1500 grants to families in need of help paying for physical and occupational therapy, wheelchairs, orthotics, hearing aides, eyeglasses, etc.

 

The grant works to pick up where your insurance plan leaves off. There are certain criteria that you must meet in order to apply. 

Some of the criteria are:

 

1. The applicant must be 16 years old or younger and live in the United States and receive and pay for care in the United States.

2. The applicant must be covered by a commercial health benefit plan and limits for the requested service are either exceeded, or no coverage is available and/or the copayments are a serious financial burden on the family. The UnitedHealthcare Children's Foundation requires a commercial health benefit plan. To see what plans are considered commercial click here and click on application criteria.

3. The potential of the intervention to significantly enhance either the clinical condition or the quality of life for the child, the financial status of the family and the severity of the child's illness. If a grant is approved, services must be provided by a trained, and if appropriate, licensed professional.
4. In order to apply and/or qualify the family must have a specific adjusted gross income based on their family size.  If income exceeds the criteria the family will not qualify.  For the income chart, you can again visit their website.

 

For more criteria and to begin the application process, click the above link to the UnitedHealthcare Children's Foundation website. As therapists, we know therapies and equipment can be very expensive and put strain on families.  We just wanted to let you know that there may be me assistance out there even in these difficult economical times.