The best time to treat cerebral palsy

  Research proves that brain tissue in early infancy (0-6 months), especially in the neonatal period, is not yet mature and is still in the stage of rapid growth and development, while brain injury is also in the early stage, abnormal posture and movement have not yet been fixed, so the brain has great plasticity, high compensatory capacity and strong recovery ability in this period. Timely treatment in this period can get the best therapeutic effect, and may change the incurable disease into a curable disease. Research shows that the brain of a newborn weighs 340-400g, and reaches 800g 6 months after birth; the development of brain and nervous system reaches 60% by the age of 3; and 90% by the age of 6. 0-3 years old is the golden stage of brain development in human life, and it is the rapid development and maturity period of children with cerebral palsy.  The functions of the brain will also develop simultaneously. The newborn’s sense of sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch are all developed. As infants grow older, motor function, language function, social adaptation, social interaction ability, cognition, memory and thinking ability are continuously enhanced, and they show different personalities and temperaments.  Therefore, this stage is the best time for children’s rehabilitation training, and parents should pay more attention to their children’s condition. For example, they find difficulty in dressing the child in the supine position, flexing his body or hugging him. Floppy: The infant’s head and neck are floppy and cannot be lifted. His limbs droop when he is held in a suspended position. The infant rarely moves. Delayed development: The infant learns to hold his head, sit, and use his hands later than children of the same age, and may use one part of his body more than another, e.g., some children use one hand more than both. Poor feeding: Poor sucking and swallowing. The tongue often pushes out milk and food. Difficulty in shutting up. Abnormal behavior: may cry, be irritable, sleep poorly, or be very quiet, sleep too much, or not laugh at 3 months of age.  In addition, parents should know that the development of function requires intervention stimulation. During this period, brain structure and function have strong adaptability, plasticity and reorganization function in the external environment, and plasticity is expressed as change and compensatory, which is the best critical period for intervention for children with cerebral palsy. At this time, the damaged brain has plasticity and the brain function can be reorganized, and the younger the age, the stronger the plasticity.  Early intervention stimulation can maximize the potential of the brain of children with cerebral palsy. Lack of environmental stimulation can cause the brain nerves to lag behind in structural and functional development, so intervention should be as early as possible and synchronized with the structural development of the brain. In other words, the key age for rehabilitation treatment for children with cerebral palsy is during this period: generally speaking, before the age of 6, it is called early, and before the age of 3, it is better to carry out rehabilitation.