During past three decades, considerable advances have been made in obstetrics and neonatal care, but unfortunately there has been virtually no change in incidences of cerebral palsy,” said the experts attending a workshop on the occasion of the World Cerebral Palsy Day organised by the State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities (SCPD) in collaboration with the Indian Academy of Paediatrics, Odisha branch here on Wednesday.
The experts said cerebral palsy is not a disease but a condition which should not be neglected. If the parents neglect treatment of their children from an early stage, the condition may worsen. Around 90 per cent of parents do not know where to go if their children suffer from any mental or physical disability. So, awareness is needed to control the cerebral type problems from an early stage, they added.
According to SCPD Commissioner Kasturi Mohapatra, cerebral palsy refers to a set of bodily conditions arising out of damage to brain cells of specific areas which mostly occurs before or at the time of birth. It is mostly caused by inadequate supply of oxygen to the brain, she added.
She further said the affected areas of brain mostly control the muscular coordination and speech. “It leads to clearly discernible differences in gait and verbal response.
The painful part is that a sensitive brain fails to work up the uncoordinated muscles to work in a particular direction,” she added.
Among others, doctors, physiotherapist, speech therapist and psychologists were present at the function.