Tag Archives: cerebral palsy

According to a report on DisabilityScoop.com, cerebral palsy can be accurately diagnosed in children as young as age 6 months. The news source reports that a study, published in the September 2017 edition of JAMA Pediatrics, found that doctors can use three tools to diagnose a child if he or she is less than 5 months old: neonatal magnetic resonance imaging, the Prechtl Qualitative Assessment of General Movements and the Hammersmith Infant Neurological Examination. Children over the age of 5 months may be able to get a diagnosis through an MRI, the study revealed. Children who are diagnosed early or who show symptoms of “high risk of cerebral palsy” can be entered into early treatment and intervention programs. “Early detection of high risk of cerebral palsy, followed by cerebral palsy-specific early intervention, is recommended and should be the standard of care to optimize infant neuroplasticity, prevent complications and enhance parent…
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According to DisabilityScoop, researchers are working with a robotic device that could help children with cerebral palsy gain strength, and improve their posture and walking ability. The website reported that the system is known as the Tethered Pelvic Assist Device, and is being looked at for helping those with a crouch gait improve their abilities so that their hips, knees and ankles do not bend excessively. Researchers discovered that of the 15 people participating in training sessions with the device, six children had improvement in posture and muscle coordination, as well as range-of-motion. The training sessions involved the children wearing the pelvic robot device while walking on a treadmill. The device applies downward force, similar to something a child would encounter if he or she was carrying a backpack. This helps retrain and work certain leg muscles, gaining strength and memory. “Currently, there is no well-established physical therapy or strengthening…
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A Pennsylvania jury recently awarded a family $14.5 million following a botched delivery that allegedly resulted in a cerebral palsy diagnosis for a child. According to the Legal Intelligencer, a federal jury awarded a couple the damages in January. The medical malpractice lawsuit claimed that the mother of the child was admitted to Clearfield Hospital in 2012, and that doctors failed to notice that her dilation and contractions had been progressing. The lawsuit claimed that the mother was administered Pitocin to accelerate the birthing process, but was given an inappropriate dose of the medication. It claimed that after it was administered, the child’s heart rate slowed down to about 60 beats per minute. The mother was allegedly given the drug for the rest of the delivery. Eventually, the baby’s head began to crown, which the lawsuit claims should have led to a delivery. However, the doctor involved allegedly failed to…
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