Finding Cerebral Palsy Organizations that Can Help

Cerebral palsy is not a simple condition, and can have a host of different symptoms associated with it. To make it more complex, the symptoms are highly variable with regard to severity, and even more, their severity greatly determines the overall course of the sufferer's life.
Cerebral palsy affects the muscles, speech and hearing, learning ability and many other aspects of the life of the person who suffers with it. The condition is treatable but incurable, so treatment efforts are always directed at lessening the severity and frequency of symptoms. The goal is usually to give the individual as much independence as possible.

Where to find support.

A good organization to get information from is United Cerebral Palsy. This is the most well-known advocacy organization that works with people with cerebral palsy, and UCP has many chapters across the country.
Additionally, you can visit this CP resources page for helpful links sorted by state.

Medical information.

Medical information about cerebral palsy is always changing and evolving. Checking for news stories about cerebral palsy will yield many inspirational stories but, when someone has just found out that their child has cerebral palsy, they're generally looking for factual information, not inspiring information. Factual information is also available from United Cerebral Palsy, as well as a host of hospitals and other organizations that work with people with cerebral palsy.
Medical knowledge about this condition is always evolving. New scanning technologies and new treatment technologies are revealing things about the disease that nobody knew or suspected in the past. There is a great deal to learn, so it's sometimes helpful if you reach out to other parents with children who have cerebral palsy for information.

Hope on the horizon.

The information you'll find about cerebral palsy these days is generally much more optimistic than it was in the past. Even though brain injuries cannot be cured, the types of assistive technologies available for people who suffer with cerebral palsy are becoming more and more impressive every year. People with cerebral palsy can use treatments such as electrical devices to improve their muscle tone, use massage and hot and cold treatments to loosen their muscles and benefit from smaller and more convenient hearing aids. Assistive walking devices are designed better and more durable than models from the past and a variety of other new options for their treatment come on the market every year.