Cerebral+Palsy


 * **Cerebral Palsy**

Causes, incidence, and risk factors
Cerebral palsy is caused by or abnormalities of the brain. Most of these problems occur as the baby grows in the womb, but they can happen at any time during the first 2 years of life, while the baby's brain is still developing. In some people with cerebral palsy, parts of the brain are injured due to low levels of oxygen ([|hypoxia] ) in the area. It is not known why this occurs. Premature infants have a slightly higher risk of developing cerebral palsy. Cerebral palsy may also occur during early infancy as a result of several conditions, including: In some cases the cause of cerebral palsy is never determined.
 * Bleeding in the brain
 * Brain infections ([|encephalitis], [|meningitis] , herpes simplex infections)
 * [|Head injury]
 * Infections in the mother during pregnancy ([|rubella] )
 * Severe [|jaundice]

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 * Types of Cerebral Palsy **

=Educational Service Resources for Students with Cerebral Palsy = > [] > [] > []
 * Niagara Cerebral Palsy is a resource center approved by both the New York state health department and department of education. Their educational division provides therapeutic services and educational services to children from birth to age five. They provide evaluations, early intervention, special, separate classes or an integrated preschool program. []
 * Life After High School Transition Kit is a PDF packet that seems as though it would be a useful resource for parents of students who are thinking about the transition process from high school to adulthood- such as finding jobs, life after education, etc. It contains information about how the parents can be involved in developing the transition aspect of the IEP and how they can get their children involved in planning their transitions. []
 * Going to College is a website that is interactive and fun and helps kids with disabilities learn about life at college, and what they can expect in attending college. A lot of time, kids with Cerebral Palsy are capable of going to college with the appropriate supports, so this is a good resource for them to learn what to expect. They create a portfolio about themselves that helps to determine good placements for them, learn about the expectations of professors and other students, and the website helps them prepare and apply for college! It is a great resource for both families of a child with disabilities and for the child.
 * All About Therapy is an occupational therapy center located throughout North Carolina. They do occupational therapy and also do early intervention for younger children. Their focus is on not only helping the child succeed, but also in providing support for the family. The owner is a family-oriented mom, and makes sure that all of the therapists in her practice focus on the family and ensuring that they understand everything that is happening with their child. Their website is also helpful because not only does it contain information about All About Therapy, but it contains information about typical developmental milestones.
 * Kennedy Krieger Institute is a nationally-known resource and treatment center for children and adults with disabilities. They offer both out-patient visits, and in-patient hospital services. We are lucky to have Kennedy Krieger right here in Baltimore, because people travel from all over the country to have their children evaluated, treated or educated there. They offer many programs that are beneficial to children with Cerebral Palsy, but one that sounded the most interesting to me is the Aquatic Therapy Program. They have state-of-the-art pools that vary by therapeutic need, including ones that have treadmills built right in to them so that people can work on muscle movement, which is one of the prime struggles with Cerebral Palsy. It helps work on balance, strength, endurance, range of motion, circulation, self-esteem and overall quality of life for people with Cerebral Palsy and other disabilities.[]
 * The Delrey School is a school specifically for students with Cerebral Palsy conveniently located here in Baltimore, MD. They have state-of-the-art therapy centers, and have teachers that are committed to providing the best education possible to children with Cerebral Palsy and multiple disabilities. They also offer social services for parents, health care services for students, wheelchair evaluations, assistive technology evaluations and adaptive equipment. They also offer a wide range of extracurricular activities for children with Cerebral Palsy!

**Local Support Groups and Educational Conferences **
> [|http://www.family-networks.org/support.cfm#8] > [] > []
 * Cerebral Palsy Support Group of Howard County: Chairperson: Dan Dotson. Meets the last Thursday of every month.They can be contacted at (410) 992-4599
 * You can join a listserv for parents of children who have Cerebral Palsy so that you can get information and support from other parents who are in similar situations. The listserv owner is Paul Sheridan, You can join online by clicking here: [].
 * Yahoo! Groups has a specific listing of groups for parents of children with Cerebral Palsy where they can talk about praises, frustrations and get advice from other parents who have been in similar circumstances. One group that we particularly liked was CerebralPalsyMoms which is specifically for Moms to get together online and talk!
 * UCP of Central Maryland is a support group located in Baltimore, Maryland.They can be contacted by phone at (410) 484-4540 or by e-mail at UCPCM@aol.com They are located at 1700 Reisterstown Road, Suite 226 Baltimore, MD 21208-2935
 * The United Cerebral Palsy annual conference is April 25-28, 2012 in Washington, D.C. As the date gets closer, more information on speakers and exhibitors will be posted on []

Recreational and Community-based Resources

 * The Special Olympics of Maryland is a great way to either participate as an athlete or to volunteer for their many events. You can find more information by clicking here:[]
 * The Summer Sensations camp located in Columbia, Maryland is a great place for kids with special needs to go during the summer to have fun, but to also receive many beneficial therapies. To sign up or find more information click here: []
 * Sebastian Riding Associates, located in Collegeville, PA offers therapeutic horseback riding for children with special needs. They can be contacted by phone at (610) 489-3741. For more information please visit their site.[].
 * Baltimore Saints Special Hockey is a great way for children with special needs to get involved in the Baltimore community and have fun! To find out more information about the oranization visit their site at []. To sign up send your name and contact information to BaltimoreSaints@verizon.net.
 * The League is a website that offers a variety of recreational activities for children with special needs. This website gives information for summer camps, camping, and community recreation. Click here to visit their site: []

Funding/Legal Advocacy
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 * Cerebral Palsy International Research Foundation is an organization that provides research information and funding information. Click here to find out more information: []
 * My Child with Cerebral Palsy lists many links to community supports and funding supports for Cerebral Palsy. To find all this great information click here: []
 * Childrens Hemiplegia and Stroke Association is a non profit support organization that provides links to legal funding supports. This site also gives other helpful information about CP.[]
 * Social Security Disability Help provides federal funding for people with disabilities including Cerebral Palsy. To find out more information or to see if your eligable go to this link:
 * Cerebral Palsy Cost is a site that provides information and links to sites that will help funding for things like wheelchairs, health insurance and other aid and help. To visit these sites click here:[]

References:

Hoch, D. B. & Kaneshiro, N. K. (2009, Sept. 16). Retrieved Oct. 23, 2011, from http://http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH000... This is a website powered by Public Med Health that gives general information about Cerebral Palsy Carr, L. (n.d.). Retrieved Oct. 23, 2011, from @http://www.nhs.uk/Video/Pages/Cerebralpalsy.aspx This is the site where the cerebral palsy video was embedded from. //Source Aide//. 2005. Living With Cerebral Palsy. 23 Oct. 2011 < http://http://www.livingwithcerebralpalsy.com/cerebral... >. This is the website in which the picture was taken from