Question
I’ve noticed that my child, when he was young, always liked to stare at things and didn’t like to smile much. He also drools excessively. He’s over a year old now and still keeps drooling. After checking, he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. How should pediatric cerebral palsy be treated?
Answer
Cerebral palsy is a congenital movement dysfunction and abnormal posture syndrome, also known as infantile cerebral palsy. The clinical manifestations of cerebral palsy vary widely, as does the severity of the disease. Some cases may show symptoms within a few days after birth, characterized by difficulties in suckling and muscle stiffness. Most cases are only discovered after several months when family members try to care for them. To date, there is no effective treatment for cerebral palsy, but appropriate measures can be taken to help improve the child’s motor function, such as physical therapy, rehabilitation training, medication, and surgical treatment. Depending on different types of cerebral palsy, such as spasticity type, hyperkinetic type, hemiplegic type, muscle tone disorder type, and dyskinesia type, a combination of physical therapy, rehabilitation training, and medication can be used. In some cases, surgical treatment may be necessary. In terms of daily health care, it is recommended to provide children with a light and nutritious diet.