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.

If we're doing things for the child, it's not as good as when the child is learning to do things for themselves. That's the way neural pathways are laid down in the brain. It's really important that the motor interventions are at the just right challenge for the child. Parents can really help you understand what that is for their baby.

It's also important to gradually increase the complexity of activities as children get older. Another really important point is that it's got to be fun. If they're not enjoying it, it's up to the physiotherapist or the occupational therapist to make it more fun. We need to understand what children want in therapy. We focus way too much on what we think they need. We really need to listen to them and find out what they want to learn.