Preparing to Help Children with Cerebral Palsy: Three Steps

If your child is diagnosed with cerebral palsy, make no mistake about the fact that you will be facing challenges as a family. Cerebral palsy, in some cases, is very debilitating. There are instances, however, where the disorder is not quite so severe and where the symptoms are lessened and more manageable. Unfortunately, some of this will not be apparent until the future when your child naturally tries to become more autonomous. In the meantime, you'll need to work closely with your doctor.

Equipment

Depending upon how severe the brain injury your child suffered was, you might need some fairly expensive equipment to help them through their day. For instance, some children will need feeding tubes and other equipment because they'll be unable to function at this most basic level. Other children may only need some medications and other basic supplies. Your doctor will help you in determining exactly what your child needs.

Assistance

Your child may need varying degrees of assistance, depending upon how debilitating their condition is. When they're an infant they will need constant assistance, anyway, so the procedure for taking care of them may not be remarkably different than it would be for any other infant. As they age, however, they may need significant help. Your child may not be able to walk at all, which means that they'll need assistive devices throughout their lives. These devices are likely to get more expensive as the child grows and their needs become more complex.

Training

You're going to need to learn to take care of someone with special needs, and that entails a lot of challenges, as anyone who regularly does so can tell you. Your child may also need forms of assistance that you cannot provide yourself, such as tutoring in school and medical assistance. The more you're able to learn to do for your child, of course, the less expensive your medical bills will be.

Money

In some cases, birth mistakes lead to cerebral palsy. If this is the case with your child, you may want to contact a cerebral palsy attorney to see if they can render legal assistance. They may be able to put together a lawsuit that could win you compensation for your child's pain and suffering and to help pay for all of the medical expenses they'll face moving forward. Cerebral palsy lawsuits sometimes pay out very substantial rewards.