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The CP Center diagnoses and treats infants, children and adolescents with cerebral palsy.
The CP center's approach is comprehensive, pro-active, and individualized. The physicians at St. Louis Children's Hospital know that treatment of children with CP should focus on the whole child. Each week the staff holds a CP conference to share ideas and to develop specific strategies for each child's care.
The Center works closely with other experts, including pediatricians, rehabilitation specialists, neurologists, orthopedic surgeons and neurosurgeons, teachers and occupational, physical and speech therapists, among others.
The GOAL is INDEPENDENCE!
To achieve this goal, we strive to:
- Help children with cerebral palsy achieve maximum physical, intellectual and emotional development.
- Educate patients, parents and the community about children with cerebral palsy.
- Develop and promote clinical research programs that will advance the pharmacological, surgical and therapeutic treatment of cerebral palsy.
- Continue making advances in the diagnosis, management and treatment of cerebral palsy.
Our philosophy at the Cerebral Palsy Center at St. Louis Children’s Hospital is that every child deserves the chance to grow up to become independent, and we are committed to helping children with CP live as independently as possible.
Promoting communication: A key component of any child’s life is effective communication. At the CP Center, we believe that each child must be given the opportunity to express his or her wants and needs. Combining the expertise of physicians, therapists, and vendors of assistive technology, along with information from families, we develop individual recommendations that may lead to optimal communication and independence for each child.
Encouraging mobility: Equally important to an independent lifestyle is mobility. Being able to move without the help of others is the ideal. Physical fitness is critical to promote mobility and help prevent side effects such as chronic pain, fractures, scoliosis, or hip dislocation. In addition to traditional therapy, the CP Center has developed a unique sports and rehabilitation program for children with CP. We believe that sports like basketball, swimming, dance, and martial arts can improve fine motor skills, muscle stiffness, and coordination, while at the same time stimulating life- long interest in physical activity.