| Cerebral Palsy Foundation

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July 28, 2020

Welcome! The Cerebral Palsy Foundation is connecting the Cerebral Palsy community one podcast at a time with “Let’s Talk CP” - the new podcast series bringing you education, conversation, support and much more on a variety of topics. Join Jason Benetti, White Sox and ESPN sports announcer, and friends, as we get real with families, clinicians and researchers asking the questions you want to know about your CP journey. We’re all in this together.

July 1, 2020

Cerebral Palsy Health with Jen Lyman

This podcast is a place for conversations with experts about issues related to cerebral palsy that affect health, fitness, function and participation. We will cover a range of topics including: treatments and therapies, nutrition, neuroplasticity, genetics, exercise and fitness, adaptive sports, accessibility, and new trends.

Photo of Jennifer Lyman and her son with the copy Cerebral Palsy Health by Jennifer Lyman across to the top of the image

July 1, 2020

What is Cerebral Palsy?

Cerebral palsy refers to a group of conditions that are caused by problems in brain development and that affect how movement and motor control happen in children. Problems with walking and talking are often the way people start a conversation about cerebral palsy.

Text says Cerebral Palsy is the most common lifelong motor disability caused by damage to the developing brain

July 1, 2020

Neuroplasticity

Neuroplasticity is the ability that the brain has to form new connections between different cells or between different areas of the brain.

Representation of a magnifying glass magnifying the neurons in the brain

July 1, 2020

Vision in Infants with CP

Cerebral palsy is caused by damage to the infant brain. This damage can involve not only the motor parts of the brain, but also the parts that deal with vision. This is not related to damage to the eye but is related to damage of the parts of the brain that process visual information.

Representation of an infant seated near a lamp

July 1, 2020

Exercising at Home During Quarantine

One of the hardest moments during quarantine for me was when my apartment building announced its gym was closing to prevent the spread of coronavirus. As the outside gyms closed all around the city in the weeks prior, I felt grateful that the one in my building was open. The gym was the lasting lifeline to my sanity, and to have that yanked away from me, I felt lost.

July 1, 2020

The History and Origin of Cerebral Palsy

If you’re a history nerd like me, then you probably wondered about the origin of cerebral palsy at least once in your life. As an ever-inquisitive kid, that was certainly at the forefront of my mind, especially when I was old enough to truly comprehend that I had CP.

Collage of individuals wearing green shirts representing people with Cerebral Palsy and those who care about them.

July 1, 2020

What is Cerebral Palsy?

Cerebral Palsy can be described by the way it affects movement and motor function, the part of the body affected and by how severe the impact is.

Researcher Kathleen Friel sitting in front of a computer reviewing a black and white image of the brain

July 1, 2020

If My Child Has Been Diagnosed With CP, Does This Mean They Will Have Other Medical Conditions?

For some the day-to-day problems faced by children and adults with cerebral palsy, and their carers, are not motor ones alone. It is important that you discuss other areas of your child's development if you have concerns.

Illustration of Spine with a brace on purple background

July 1, 2020

Navigating CP and Depression at the Same Time

There is insufficient research on adults living with cerebral palsy, (as referenced in my previous blog post on cerebral palsy and adulthood). Although there is a paucity of studies examining mental health in this population, medical researchers have speculated that the rate of depression is three to four times higher in people with disabilities such as CP than it is in the general population.

July 1, 2020

Tips For Your Child's Early Intervention Plan

As a parent, when it comes to different types of interventions for infants with cerebral palsy, how do you know what you have, what you don't, and what you could get?

Zach (age 4) smiling in therapy playing a game with PT

July 1, 2020

The Essential Role of Activity in Infancy

Exploration for an infant means discovering anything about that environment. If that infant needs an opportunity to be brought to them, that's okay. Let an infant explore through their senses, whether it's touch, or smell, or taste, or sight, or hearing.

July 1, 2020

Muscle Development & Early Intervention

Cerebral palsy is an injury to the brain, but what we find is that it has a lot of effects on how you use your muscles.

July 1, 2020

Tips For Getting the Right Amount of Exercise

For people with a physical disability, activity is a lifestyle. It's something that can start in physical therapy, but it really is something that has to be carried over into their everyday lives. What has happened over the years is we're understanding the importance of mobility.

Photo of Diane Damiano with words get some exercise written in pink

July 1, 2020

Learning To Move And The Goals Of Therapy

For a child with CP learning to move, the really important things to remember are that the child should always be active.

July 1, 2020

Building Your Care Team- The People You May Meet

When first meeting a parent who's had a child newly diagnosed with cerebral palsy, I really want to try and help them understand their baby. It can be difficult for parents to take it in all at once and many leave that first interview quite overwhelmed, but you're going to meet some really important and helpful people.

July 1, 2020

What is Neuroplasticity?

Babies develop about 80% of their brain growth over the first two years of life, and it's also when all the connections in the brain, what we call the white matter, which is the cables in the brain, grow and develop and connect to the cortex.

Outline of child's head outlining brain connections that relate to neuroplasticity

July 1, 2020

Understanding Gait Analysis & Orthopedic Surgery

It's really hard just to watch someone walk to decide what's wrong with them. A better way is to do what's called Three Dimensional Gait Analysis, and that's where the child comes into one of our labs. Here, we put markers on their face, hands, and legs. We have a computer and a bunch of cameras all around the room. And then we're able to break down the gait into three dimensions.

Stick figure against purple background with trackers and cameras on them to monitor their gait

July 1, 2020

Understanding Brain Injury in Cerebral Palsy

It is important to understand the brain injury for each individual person, because they can be really different. Where the injury is can give us important clues to what motor problems that individual will have. The time you have the biggest risk to having a stroke is as a baby, not as an adult so it is important to understand what may be happening in the infants brain.

Outline of a person's head, with blue brain inside against dark purple background

July 1, 2020

What is the International Classification of Function?

The World Health Organization has developed the ‘International Classification of Function’. This gives us a way to think about any health condition. Here we can see many ideas that we need to think about with CP. We can also see how these many ideas are connected to one another.

Image of International Classification of Function

July 1, 2020

Creating the Best Environment for Your Child

It has been scientifically proven that enriched environment can help children with CP gain new skills in their movement but also their thinking and communication skills.

Taryn (4 years old) kneeling down in a creek and feelings the water.

July 1, 2020

Meet Tylynn

After we got the diagnosis we met with Dr. Maitre the next day and she gave us a roadmap.

photo of 9 month old baby sitting and smiling at camera

July 1, 2020

Meet Taryn

She was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at 12 months & Constraint-induced movement therapy helped her recover the use of her left side.

Photo of 4 year old Taryn waering splints on both of her legs holding a sign at her dance recital

July 1, 2020

Meet Owen

Owen was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at 6 months. By getting an early diagnosis his life changed forever.

Owen age 1 years old smiling looking behind his shoulder in the bath playing with a toy

July 1, 2020

Key Facts - Risk Factors for Cerebral Palsy

There are some medical conditions or events that can happen during pregnancy, delivery, or shortly thereafter that may increase a baby's risk of being born with cerebral palsy.

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