Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy is a group of disorders that affect a person’s movement and posture. It is caused by damage to the developing brain and is the most common physical disability in childhood. For every 1000 live birth, there is an estimate of 1-3 children born with Cerebral Palsy. 

Cerebral Palsy can be classified according to the main type of movement disorder involved – spastic, dyskinetic and ataxic. The symptoms of Cerebral Palsy can vary across people because of different severity and different types of movement disorder. 

Feeding and Nutrition: What You Need to Know 

About 50% of people with Cerebral Palsy has feeding and swallowing problems. People with Cerebral Palsy may present with

• Drooling
• Coughing or choking when eating or drinking
• Difficulty chewing 
• Food residue in the mouth during mealtime
• Prolonged meal duration
• Poor growth and malnutrition 

Ways to support challenges with mealtime and nutrition include

• Adjusting and/or supporting the posture during mealtime 
• Modifying food textures and/or fluid consistency
• Pacing feeding
• Therapy to improve and develop oral motor skills
• Diet modification to optimise nutrition

How Cerebral Palsy Affects Speech Development 

Children with Cerebral Palsy often present with

• Late talking
• Difficulty understanding instructions
• Difficulty expressing themselves with words
• Unclear speech

People with Cerebral Palsy may also present with cognitive, hearing and/or visual impairment that further increase the challenges in their daily communication.

About 30-70% of people with Cerebral Palsy face difficulties with speech and language. Ways to support speech and language development in children with Cerebral Palsy include

• Therapy to improve speech intelligibility (e.g. working on speech volume, production of specific sounds, etc.)
• Therapy to work on understanding and using language (e.g. following instructions, answering questions, having a conversation)
• Use of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) (e.g. use of pictures, objects, signs, speech generating devices)

Movement and Motor Skill Challenges 

Motor impairment is the main feature of Cerebral Palsy. People with Cerebral Palsy can present with

• Abnormal muscle tone (e.g. too stiff, or too floppy)
• Difficulty with balance and coordination
• Decreased strength
• Difficulty with voluntary motor control 

Ways to support mobility and coordination include

• Exercises, such as those targeting sitting, walking and hand functions
• Use of assistive devices such as wheelchairs, walkers, braces, splints, specialized feeding utensils, and pencil grips to support daily activities

Supporting Your Child’s Development 

Cerebral Palsy is a lifelong condition but with early diagnosis and intervention, the functional outcomes and quality of life of people with cerebral palsy can be improved.

To support your child’s communication at home, you can

• Talk at your child’s eye level 
• Talk about your child’s interest
• Give your child time to talk
• Talk slowly to help your child imitate your speech more clearly

To support your child’s motor development at home, you can

• Engage in activities that are useful for developing fine motor skills, such as play-doh, squeezing clothes pegs, slotting coins into a piggy bank. 
• Create opportunities for your child to practise self-help skills, such as self-feeding, dressing and undressing, toothbrushing

To support your child’s feeding at home, you can

• Create positive mealtime experiences, e.g. eating as a family
• Reduce distractions during mealtimes, e.g. removing screentime 
• Expose your child to a variety of tastes and textures (while being mindful of what your child can cope with without choking)