Cerebral Palsy is another physical disability which is most common disorder in Bangladesh. It is more common in rural areas rather than urban area. Lack of awareness is one of the important causes of cerebral palsy. Village people don't go to hospital for check up and they don't follow different health related advice during pregnancy. That's why; they suffer from different pregnancy related problem. Sometimes they take traditional treatments which worsen their physical health.

Cerebral Palsy is actually caused by brain damage. The brain damage is caused by brain injury or abnormal development of the brain that occurs while a child’s brain is still developing — before birth, during birth, or immediately after birth.

Cerebral Palsy affects body movement, muscle control, muscle coordination, muscle tone, reflex, posture and balance. It can also impact fine motor skills, gross motor skills and oral motor functioning.

The causes of cerebral palsy are given below:

Before birth-

Maternal diabetes, hyperthyroidism, high blood pressure

Poor maternal nutrition

Maternal seizure

During birth-

Premature delivery

Prolong rupture of amniotic membranes (more than 24 hour )

Breech  Presentation

After birth-

Very high fever

Asphyxia

Brain infections ( meningitis, encephalitis)

Head injuries

Seizures

Bleeding or blood clot in the brain

Brain tumors

Signs and symptoms can vary greatly. Movement and coordination problems associated with cerebral palsy may include:

Variations in muscle tone,

such as being either too stiff or too floppy

Stiff muscles and exaggerated reflexes (spasticity)

Stiff muscles with normal reflexes (rigidity)

Lack of muscle coordination (ataxia)

Tremors or involuntary movements

Slow, writhing movements (athetosis)

Delays in reaching motor skills milestones, such as pushing up on arms, sitting up alone or crawling

Favoring one side of the body, such as reaching with only one hand or dragging a leg while crawling

Difficulty walking, such as walking on toes, a crouched gait, a scissors-like gait with knees crossing, a wide gait or an asymmetrical gait

Excessive drooling or problems with swallowing

Difficulty with sucking or eating

Delays in speech development or difficulty speaking

Difficulty with precise motions, such as picking up a crayon or spoon

Seizures

Occupational Therapy for Cerebral Palsy

Occupational Therapist firstly assesses the child. Its include birth history, developmental milestone, functional gross motor skills, transitional movement, fine motor skills, sensory skills, social

skills etc.

According to assessment therapist identify the childs problem and make a problem list. According to problem list therapist provide appropriate occupational therapy. These include:

-Practice developmental milestone where it stop

-Enhance the child’s play skills by engaging different activity.

-Engage the child in different fine motor activity like reaching, grasping, release, bilateral hand use etc.

-Practice gross motor activity like basket ball playing, jumping etc.

-Engage the child in different social activity like increase peer interaction, visiting new places etc.

-Practice Activities of Daily Living (ADL’s) such as dressing, feeding, bathing etc.

- If the child has sensory problem then according to sensory problem therapist provide sensory stimulation for normalize the sensory issues.

-Therapist also provide different splint ( resting, cock up, writing) for maintaining proper joint position of hand.

-Therapist also provides different devices or aids for making independent to the child.

-Occupational Therapist also provides treatment for feeding problem like choking, chewing, drooling, swallow, drinking etc.

What should we have to do?

-Ensure regular check up to the doctor during pregnancy

- Taking appropriate therapy from qualified therapist

-Eat healthy food

-Visit the child in outside area like zoo, garden, park or any open places where they can play

-Take the child in different cultural and family program like merrage ceremony,  birthday party and other program

-Encourage the child to play with peer group

-Give plenty of time to the child

-Talk with the child more and more rather than watching TV or listening music

-Make the environment comfortable to the child.