Question
My daughter is two and a half years old. She was born with asphyxia and had two hematomas on her head. She cannot speak, walks unsteadily, and has had several seizures.
Answer
Hello: Before treatment, the motor function of a cerebral palsy patient should be assessed. In addition to the standard rehabilitation assessment (100 assessment projects), an assessment according to the child’s motor function development program should also be conducted. This includes evaluations of both initial reflexes and automatic responses, as well as assessments that divide stages using motor development milestones. Scissors gait and foot drop are two common clinical signs in pediatric cerebral palsy. These are caused by three factors: first, the primitive reflexes have not disappeared and normal reflexes have not been established; second, abnormal force; and third, spasm. When the child is relaxed, scissors gait and foot drop can be corrected. However, when scissors gait and foot drop symptoms appear during exertion or movement, they are caused by abnormal force, and manual correction during training generally has an effect. If a child who has good sitting balance and can crawl and roll over is treated by a doctor, 60% of children can walk independently after three months. It’s easier for a child to start walking than to maintain it. In terms of walking alone, it is divided into two stages: the first stage is to be able to walk 20-50 meters with protection, with good stride length and balance; the second stage is to correct posture, which is more challenging and requires that the child’s overall basic function be good so that their control and coordination abilities can be fully utilized.