CEREBRAL PALSY SYDROME

Cerebral palsy syndrome affects muscle tone, movement, motor skills (the ability of children to move in a coordinated and purposeful way). CP usually happens due to brain damage, which occurs before or during childbirth or during the first 3-5 years of child’s life. This brain damage can also lead to other health issues including sight, hearing and speech issues, as well as learning difficulties.

There are three types of cerebral palsy:

1. Spastic cerebral palsy – causes stiffness and movement difficulties
2. Dyskinetic (or athetoid) cerebral palsy – causes chaotic and uncontrolled movements
3. Ataxic cerebral palsy – causes deep perception and balance problems

Taking into consideration the fact that cerebral palsy affects muscle control and coordination, even simple movements, such as standing and controlling head posture, are extremely difficult. Other functions, which also include motor skills and muscles – breathing, sphincter control, swallowing, speech – are also lessen or even completely absent.

Brain damage caused by cerebral palsy can also affect other brain functions and lead to additional health problems:

• Eyesight problems or blindness;
• Hearing problems or complete hearing loss;
• Aspiration of food – suction of food or liquid into the lungs;
• Gastroesophageal reflux disease
• Drooling;
• Caries and other dental problems;
• Sleep disorder;
• Behavioural disorders.

By applying Bowen technique, kinesiotherapy exercises and integrative techniques, we encourage children with SP to relax muscle spasms, control the posture of head and other extremities, control the sphincter and improve swallowing, speech and sleep functions.

Autism

Autism is a developmental disorder characterised by difficulties in various areas of development, first of all, in the sphere of communication and social relations. It belongs to a group of developmental disabilities, because the symptoms of it appear early – it can be diagnosed even in an 18-month-old baby and the full clinical picture develops around the third year of life.

The basic features of Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are reflected as communication and interaction difficulties, limited interests and repetitive patterns of behaviour. The interaction and communication of people with ASD are characterised by:

• Weak and/or inconsistent eye contact;
• Difficulties with responding to their name;
• Difficulties with listening and looking at another person simultaneously;
• Rarely present enjoyment of various group activities;
• Focusing on the activities, interesting for them, without the need to involve others;
• Lack of imagination;
• Lack of adequate facial and emotional response to certain content;
• Difficulties with understanding other people’s opinion and reactions in a certain situations;
• Unusual tone of voice;
• Repeating certain patterns of behaviour or movements (stereotypes and rituals);
• Repeating words or phrases;
• Interests in certain topics (numbers, details or facts);
• Violent reactions to the change of routine;
• Certain hypersensitivity to external stimuli.

We talk about autism as a spectrum of disorders, which means that there is a broad variation in the type and severity of symptoms so that individual differences in the way of functioning can be large.

Autism can be a lifelong disorder and that is why it is often referred to as a condition rather than an illness. However, different treatments and services can improve one’s symptoms and ability to function better in the environment and with other people.

It can be said that a person with autism lives in a limited, repetitive environment, which should provide him/her with security and control. The task of therapy is to help this person expand the boundaries of own world, reduce tension due to the constant feeling of being endangered and defensive attitude towards others through increasing awareness, primarily sensory awareness, with the aim of living fully.

The recognition of the problem and inclusion of a child in the treatment in due time will prevent the optimal period for the development of certain functions in the early development from becoming unjustifiably missed.

In our work, we do use different ways to draw children’s attention, activate empathy, encourage articulation and strengthen the mother-child relationship.