The Good, the Bad and The Ugly Facts about Adult CP
The good news is that neuroplasticity is life long and provides new hope for change in adults with cerebral palsy, as well as in children. In addition, there are many more treatments and technologies now available than when these adults were discharged from Pediatrics. The bad news is that adults with cerebral palsy have had a lifetime to firmly wire [...]
A New Way of Thinking About Recovery – Neuroplasticity Exists
It is time for a new way of thinking about recovery in early brain or nerve damage. Our current practices are out of date, based on the incorrect paradigm that human brain injury is permanent and irreversible. Under this paradigm, doctors and therapists were trained to focus on functional independence, not normal function. Parents who wanted more were actively discouraged, even told that they were in denial of reality. These defenders of the past need a wake up call.
Change Your Expectation, Change the Outcome
There is a wide range of functional outcomes in children with cerebral palsy (CP) or brachial plexus injury (BPI). Traditional medical wisdom attributes this variation to the extent of injury. It seems reasonable to think that the children with a poor outcome are the ones with the worst trauma. But this correlation is far from perfect. It is my belief [...]
How to Uncover Recovery Hidden by Habits
Uncovering brain recovery in children with cerebral palsy is not difficult, but it does require that you look at a child’s performance in a different way. As a doctor, I have been trained to evaluate what is wrong with a child’s movement and to determine what they find difficult to do so that I can help them achieve a higher [...]
What is the Diagnosis?
Christine was born with choreoathetosis, a particularly disabling form of cerebral palsy. Christine, as an adult, has developed a wicked forehand volley. This is one of the most difficult strokes in the game of tennis. Many of her ground strokes are picture perfect. What then is her diagnosis? She has all the signs and symptoms of choreoathetosis during a routine [...]
The Invisible Gorilla
The Invisible Gorilla: How Our Intuitions Deceive Us by Christopher Chabris and Daniel Simons – New York: Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, 2009 Where is the invisible gorilla? Right before your eyes. This is a U-tube version of the famous Selective Attention Test that has been viewed by millions and is described in detail in the Chabris [...]
How Doctors Think by Jerome Groopman, MD – New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2007
This book is available as a hardcover, a paperback, an e-book and an audiofile for those who prefer to listen to books. I consider it another survival manual as we all work with our modern health care system. Dr. Groopman has impeccable credentials as a well respected physician, researcher, teacher and author. In this book, he explores the difficult issue [...]
The Checklist Manifesto – How To Get Things Right by Atul Gawande – New York: Picador, 2011
How could a book about checklists be all that interesting? Trust me on this one. You will be riveted. I read this book, the first time, straight through without stopping. For families and individuals who have any type of medical issues that require close interaction with the medical establishment, this book is a basic safety preparedness course. Gawande spells out, [...]