Evaluation of the Child's Skill Level
Children with Cerebral Palsy require much help at times with their daily activities, such as bathing, eating, getting dressed, even playing. It helps the children achieve the kind of independence that most children take for granted, by improving their motor skills and increasing their confidence levels. The first step is to evaluate the child's initial skills, what he or she is already capable of doing on their own, then working with that evaluation to help improve and expand those abilities as much as possible. Children learn grasp small objects, achieve hand eye coordination and handwriting improvement.
Improving Behavioral Troubles
Improvement in hand-eye coordination can improve the child's play skills. Anything involving throwing a ball, hitting a ball, hitting a target, writing techniques, drawing and many more. Some children with Cerebral Palsy have behavioral troubles and these problems can be helped by occupational therapy by teaching the children positive ways to solve their problems rather than acting out in negative fashions. The children learn to participate in games and sports, and keep journals of their feelings to express themselves in positive ways. Occupational Therapists are the ones who evaluate the patient for the assistance devices that they need, such as wheelchairs, splints, standers and sitting assistance devices.
Specially Designed Technology
These children can be taught to use special computers that are designed for easier use by people with limitations, either in speech or in coordination and muscle tension. These patients can even turn on a light or open and close doors just by using a computer that is calibrated to that person's special abilities. Children with Cerebral Palsy get a lot of benefit from these types of therapy and will see much improvement in their quality of life.
Tags: Cerebral Palsy, with Cerebral, with Cerebral Palsy, assistance devices, ball hitting