Cerebral Palsy (CP)

Though Cerebral Palsy (CP) cannot currently be cured, proper treatment can help people with Cerebral Palsy (CP) maximize their abilities, prevent complications, and improve their quality of life. Cerebral palsy (CP)  does not usually get worse over time, but new symptoms can appear or become worse as a child grows and develops.

Specific Cerebral Palsy (CP) treatment varies  and changes as needed as the child grows and develops. Usually Cerebral palsy (CP) treatment focuses on ways to maintain or improve a person’s quality of life and overall health.  People  with cerebral palsy require long-term care with a medical care team.  By combining all of the therapies together the team centered approach at Bergen Pediatric Therapy works by collaborating with physicians, therapists, and others involved in the child’s care. We treat your child collectively by a dedicated, caring, hands-on team and we strive to  be a resource to parents and provide a nurturing environment by catering to the physical and emotional needs of the family.

Therapies

A variety of nondrug therapies can help a person with cerebral palsy to enhance functional abilities. These include the following:

• Physical Therapy. Muscle training and exercises may help your child’s strength, flexibility, balance, motor development and mobility. You will also learn how to safely care for your child’s everyday needs at home, such as bathing and feeding your child.

Braces or splints may be recommended for your child. Some of these supports are used to help with function, such as improved walking. Others may stretch stiff muscles to help prevent rigid muscles (contractures).

• Occupational therapy . Using alternative strategies and adaptive equipment, occupational therapists work to promote your child’s independent participation in daily activities and routines in the home, the school and the community.

Adaptive equipment may include walkers, quadrupedal canes, seating systems or electric wheelchairs.

• Speech and language therapy. Speech-language pathologists can help improve your child’s ability to speak clearly or to communicate using sign language.

Speech-language pathologists can also teach your child to use communication devices, such as a computer and voice synthesizer, if communication is difficult.

Another communication device may be a board covered with pictures of items and activities your child may see in daily life. Sentences can be constructed by pointing to the pictures.

Speech therapists may also address difficulties with muscles used in eating and swallowing.

In conjunction with Therapy medical approaches include:

Medications

Medications that can lessen the tightness of muscles may be used to improve functional abilities treat pain and manage complications related to spasticity or other cerebral palsy symptoms.

It’s important to talk about the risk of drug treatments with your doctor and discuss whether medical treatment is appropriate for your child’s needs.

Surgical or other procedures

Surgery may be needed to lessen muscle tightness or correct bone abnormalities caused by spasticity.

At Bergen Pediatric Therapy we combine all of the therapies together with a   team centered by collaborating with physicians, therapists, and others involved in the child’s care.

Call (201)722-4700 or fill out our online form at right for a FREE Consultation and Facility Tour.

Lisa Koo and Victor Wang and the entire staff at Bergen Pediatric Therapy have become our family.  There are not many things that our daughter can enjoy but we can always count on them to make her happy.  We are there 3 days a week for aquatherapy and sensory integration, and without these therapies, I don’t know where Zayna would be.  We are grateful to them for providing our entire family with support, compassion and professionalism for the past 7 years.

Claire, Mother of Autistic Daughter