Funny, that like Dy we've been reading tons of stuff about cerebral palsy, as the therapist at Emma's school thinks she may have it. We're so lucky that we have the internet these days, to instantly fill our minds with information, and answer so many questions with just a "click".

Reading the signs and symptoms, it surprises me that no phycisian has ever mentioned it or had her tested for it before. Along with her lack of certain muscle control, the bowel and bladder problems mirror a lot of Emma's struggles. I find myself sitting here reading, nodding my head saying "yup, yup, that's her". At least by maybe putting a label on it, she can finally get some appropriate treatment and accomodations.

The good news is that cerebral palsy doesn't get "worse," although many secondary conditions can arise because of the CP, and they could get worse over time. For example, decreased motor function is a "condition" of cp, and is the most prevalent condition to deteriorate over time, particularly after growth and development has stopped and maturity has been reached. That means there would be very few small children with mild CP in wheelchairs, but many will become wheelchair bound after age 14-17, though vigorous physical therapy has shown to delay or prevent marked decrease in muscle deterioration.

Emma seems to have very mild symptoms, and seems to respond very well to physical therapy. That's a great sign. She's made so many physical improvements since this time last year, and that's really encouraging.

Some interesting facts:
Premature children that are found to have CP are typically diagnosed around age 6.
More people have CP than any other developmental disability.
Doctors frequently use Botox in pharamcological CP therapy.
Children with a largely sedate lifestyle are more apt to suffer decreased muscle performance over time.

...and the most daunting statistic:
President Bush has cut the NIH's Cerebral Palsy research budget by more than 60% in the past 2 years.

Idiot.