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• Adapting to evolving issues
• Getting the right match

Adapting to evolving issues

Cerebral palsy at 1 year of age is different from 5, 15, and 25 years of age because it is an evolving issue.  The child and the family have to adapt to the needs of the moment, and those needs tend to change over time. Families need to have a resource where they can go get their questions answered. As questions come up, they should know that there is a team or a specialist that they can turn to and say, “I want to know if my kid is going to be able to walk.  Will he go to college?” Or, “If I build a ramp at my house, is that tax-deductible?” “How can I get the school to make sure all of my kid’s classes are on the first floor?” There are a million different questions that parents and children are going to have, and they need a way to get those answered.

-David Coulter, MD, Pediatric Neurologist, Department of Neurology

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Getting the right match

There are different types of communication styles that medical providers and families have.  It is really important to have the right match when talking to each other.  When families know their style and can say whether they just want the information and plan explained to them or whether they want to have a lot of input into preparing it, communication goes more smoothly.  Providers have preferences, too.  Everyone needs to be aware of what works for them.  That way everyone can listen and be heard, including the children. 

-Susan Shanske, LICSW, Licensed Social Worker, Cerebral Palsy Program

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