This usually happens by the time the baby is 12 to 14 months old, and parents anxiously wait for that first tumbling gait to see if their child is developing according to schedule. But there are some parents who may have to wait longer to see their children start walking. These are the parents of children who are diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy.

Medicine Kit

Cerebral Palsy (CP) is a developmental disability, where the child has impairment in the area of the brain that controls movement and muscle tone. According to Dr. Stella Manalo, a developmental pediatrician at the Medical City in Pasig City, CP is a generic term for patients with psychomotor delay caused by malformation or damage to the child’s brain during pregnancy, delivery, or immediately after birth.

Babies who are born premature are at a higher risk of CP. A baby may also get the condition from very severe jaundice after birth, from a brain injury or contraction of a disease, such as meningitis, during early infancy. Dr. Teresita Rabanal, President of the Child Neurology Society of the Philippines, adds that she sees more CP cases among first-borns, which she credits to the difficulty of bearing down for first-time mothers.

The book 'Your Baby’s First Year," developed by the American Academy of Pediatrics says that many children with CP have normal intelligence, even though they may have difficulty with motor control and development. Some may simply be a little clumsy or awkward with their movements, while others may be unable to walk as they develop. The child’s speech may also be affected. Rabanal explains CP is classified as mild, moderate and severe CP, and that the severity of CP depends on the IQ of the child. "If the IQ is high, then we classify the child as having mild CP," she says. The experts also say that CP patients may also have seizures, hearing problems, and vision difficulties.

Rabanal says that a difficult pregnancy should already be closely monitored by the mother’s OB-Gynecologist, because the child is already at risk of CP. "These are the moms who may have hypertension, diabetes, or those who are nutritionally impaired. Then, it is up to the parents and the pediatrician to monitor their baby’s milestones, such as rolling over, sitting up, and then walking. You may not detect CP right away. For the first 2 to 3 months, the baby may appear normal, then at 5 to 6 months, the mother may begin wondering why her child hasn’t rolled over yet."

What is important, both doctors say, is to educate parents on the milestones that they have to check for. Early intervention is key in helping children with CP and their parents get the guidance and treatments that they will need.

One of the treatments that may be prescribed is physical therapy, to keep their muscles flexible. That is because according to studies, even on normal people, a long period of immobility causes loss of bone density and muscle strength. The Philippine situation is quite disheartening, though, as Rabanal notes many patients reach their clinics at the Philippine General Hospital when they are already 4 to 6 years old. "By then, the window period for helping them has already narrowed greatly," she adds.

Physical therapy is the traditional method for treating muscular disorders associated with CP, and it can be a long and arduous process with few dramatic results. But there is a new technology that is now available in the Philippines, and it has been proven to help CP children to sit up or even walk on their own. The TheraSuit is a system of elastic bands that are attached to a cap, vest, shorts, knee pads, and special shoes. These bands mirror the attachments of the muscle groups, and they are designed to restore unconscious perception of movement and spatial orientation for joints, ligaments, and muscles. US-based physical therapist Izabela Koscielny, who developed the suit for her daughter with CP, says that for every 5 patients that undergo an intense exercise program under the suit therapy, 1 will be able to walk. Koscielny’s daughter, Kara, is one of the program’s success stories. Now 16, Kara can play the violin and piano, and even perform physically demanding activities such as rock climbing.