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Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
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Mayo Clinic Housecall
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Coping and support
By Mayo Clinic staffWhen a child is diagnosed with a disabling condition, the whole family faces new challenges. Here are a few tips for caring for your child and yourself:
- Foster your child's independence. Encourage any effort at independence, no matter how small. Just because you can do something faster and quicker doesn't mean you should.
- Be an advocate for your child. You are an important part of your child's health care team. Don't be afraid to speak out on your child's behalf or to ask tough questions of your physicians, therapists and teachers.
- Find support. A circle of support can make a big difference in helping you cope with cerebral palsy and its effects. As a parent, you may feel grief and guilt over your child's disability. Your doctor can help you locate support groups, organizations and counseling services in your community. Your child may benefit from family support programs, school programs and counseling.
References
- Cerebral palsy: Hope through research. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/cerebral_palsy/detail_cerebral_palsy.htm. Accessed Sept. 2, 2008.
- Miller G. Epidemiology and etiology of cerebral palsy. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Sept. 2, 2008.
- Miller G. Clinical features and diagnosis of cerebral palsy. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Sept. 3, 2008.
- Parmet S, et al. JAMA patient page: Chickenpox. Journal of the American Medical Association. Accessed Sept. 4, 2008.
- Neurological consequences of cytomegalovirus infection information page. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/cytomegalic/cytomegalic.htm. Accessed Sept. 4, 2008.
- Toxoplasmosis: Pregnant women. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/toxoplasmosis/pregnant.html. Accessed Sept. 4, 2008.
- CDC fact sheet: Syphilis. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/std/Syphilis/syphilis-fact-sheet.pdf. Accessed Sept. 4, 2008.
- Meningitis and encephalitis fact sheet. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/encephalitis_meningitis/detail_encephalitis_meningitis.htm. Accessed Sept. 4, 2008.
- Neurological diagnostic tests and procedures. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/misc/diagnostic_tests.htm. Accessed Sept. 4, 2008.
- Miller G. Management and prognosis of cerebral palsy. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Sept. 5, 2008.
