Cerebral palsy treatment guides help families choose the best options
Published: 8 March 2024
Article submitted by: Cerebral Palsy Alliance
New Cerebral Palsy Treatment Guides for people with cerebral palsy, parents, carers, and allied health and medical practitioners provide information about the range of different needs at various stages of development.
These treatment guides include the most effective interventions which are based on the latest research evidence from Cerebral Palsy Alliance Research and across the world. They include ways to promote motor function, mobility, learning, communication and social skills, as well as how to manage secondary conditions, such as issues with pain, muscle tone, sleep, epilepsy, hips and other musculoskeletal issues.
The guides can be used to:
- support conversations with funding agencies, support coordinators, service providers and therapists
- help people to access the right interventions, at the right time, and in the right amount
- assist with confidently choosing interventions and services that are supported by high quality evidence
The treatment guides enable families, clients and staff to ask questions, set goals and propose individualised service offers that align to goal-directed therapy, helping clients achieve them in clearly defined timeframes.
“We reviewed a service plan for a two-year-old client using the Treatment Guides and within two weeks the client began achieving weekly goals. These weekly goals contributed to longer term goals and within five weeks of service the client had achieved more in the new service offer than previously in the last six months,” says Mel Clark, Manager Therapy Services, Canberra.
“The treatment guides were given to a grandmother asking for advice to assist her visiting grandson from overseas. The child took part in a handful of goal directed training sessions during their visit and when they left the parents reported rapid improvement in his abilities, strength, and gross motor function. He was able to sit independently for the first time and interact on a Zoom call. The parents are considering relocating to Australia for improved outcomes for their son,” says Alex Gibson, Manager Therapy Services, Port Macquarie.
The Cerebral Palsy Alliance is one of the world's largest research institutes dedicated to cerebral palsy. Its research team brings together an alliance of clinicians, cerebral palsy experts, neonatologists, engineers and medical professionals together with families to drive research breakthroughs that deliver meaningful results to the global cerebral palsy community.
The ultimate purpose of our research is to support people with lived experience of CP to understand and access interventions that will improve their lives. These guides summarise in an easy-to-read format the best available evidence about therapies and supports across the lifespan, helping families choose the best options for their situation, says Cathy Morgan, Theme Leader Early Detection and Intervention, Cerebral Palsy Alliance.
Download the Treatment Guides from the Cerebral Palsy Alliance website, where you can also find out more about services and support.
Last reviewed: March 2024