What is cerebral palsy?
Cerebral palsy is a physical condition that affects movement, and usually occurs just before, during or after birth. There is no known cure, and no pre-birth test for this condition. It can be as mild as a weakness in one hand, ranging to an almost complete lack of movement. Muscles can be stiff or tight, some people may have seizures and other impairments affecting their speech, vision, hearing and/or intellect. There are currently in excess of 20,000 people with cerebral palsy living in Australiaand at least 2,000 in WA. Early intervention treatment for children with cerebral palsy through The Centre for Cerebral Palsy (TCCP) and PMH typically includes physiotherapy, neurology, speech therapy, OT, botox, and surgery.
For some children these therapies make a difference, for others they have little or no effect. Parents often begin to look further afield to find other ways to help their children to make real functional gains and changes with alternative therapies such as ABR. ABR enables the parents to take control of their child's progress with real results, rather than the ‘wait and see' approach often adopted with conventional therapies. It is our belief that all children with disabilities should have the opportunity and choice, to receive therapies such as ABR for their rehabilitation, regardless of the costs involved.