Children with Cerebral Palsy: A Parent's Guide（作者 Elaine Geralis ） 选段1

Chapter 4: Daily Care Exercise（1）
If you watch a baby who is developing typically, you will see that he is seldom still; his arms and legs are in almost continuous motion. As he rolls, crawls, and gets into and out of sitting positions, he is exercising without a conscious effort.

For babies with cerebral palsy, this kind of spontaneous exercise is usually limited. Because they may be capable of only a few movements, babies with cerebral palsy are often relatively inactive. But exercise is crucial for children with cerebral palsy. Movement through all ranges of motion can prevent contractures or joint limitations, thereby helping a child's body maintain its potential. Weight bearing exercises can prevent bone loss. And the sensory and motor input that exercise provides is an essential building block for future development of cognitive skills.

As the parent of a child with cerebral palsy, you will want to make sure that your child gets all the exercise he needs. Consequently, if your child is passive and content to lie back and watch the world around him, you may need to impose movement upon him.

For young children with cerebral palsy, one of the best ways to encourage movement is through the roughhouse play that other children instinctively make a part of their regular exercise. The touch and movement input that is so much a part of this type of play is essential to the development of normal tactile (touch) and vestibular (response to movement) systems. Furthermore, your child will enjoy roughhousing, so long as you keep in mind the principles of good handling and pay attention to your child's body.

For example, if throwing your child up in the air makes him stiff as a board, think of another, slower activity, involving some trunk rotation and leg dissociation (separation) to reduce his tone. A good alternative might be the human merry-go-round, in which you hold your child face-to-face with his legs straddling your waist and twirl around. Try to remember that low-tone children generally respond well to fast movements, while high-tone children respond better to a slower pace. Also remember that your child won't break, so don't be afraid to handle him.


Reference：The book “Children with Cerebral Palsy: A Parent's Guide”

译：
第四章：日常康复练习（1）
如果你仔细观察一个有代表性的正常宝宝成长，你会发现他很少有安静的时候；他的胳膊和腿总是几乎无时无刻都在运动伸展着。当他打滚，摸爬，反反复复地坐好然后又变换姿势时，他实际上完全不需要有意识的努力来完成这些动作。

而对于患有脑瘫的宝宝来说，这种自发的无意识动作却被限制了。正是由于他们能力只足够支撑他们完成极少的动作，他们通常都十分文静，一点也不像其他宝宝那样活跃。尽管如此，对于脑瘫宝宝来说，运动却是极其重要的。各种各样练习所产生的动作可以有效地缓解挛缩或者关节的局限性，也因此帮助宝宝们发挥并且维持身体的潜能，比如，负重练习可以预防骨质疏松。并且练习所产生的运动以及感官投入构成了宝宝未来发展认知能力的重要基石。

作为脑瘫宝宝的家长，你需要确保宝宝能够得到他（她）所需要的全部练习。所以，如果你的宝宝习惯并且满足于静静地躺着观察周围的世界，那么你可能就需要强迫他（她）做一些活动了。

对于幼儿时期的脑瘫宝宝而言，其中一种最好的鼓励活动的方法就是采取其他孩子已经本能地作为常规锻炼的互动打闹。这种玩耍所大量需要的触觉与运动投入对普通触知与前庭（对运动作出反应来控制平衡）系统的发展起着至关重要的作用。另外，宝宝们将会非常喜欢并且享受这种打闹的过程，只要你时刻掌握好度并且留心宝宝的身体状态。

比方说，如果将宝宝抛掷到空中令他（她）浑身僵硬紧绷，那么不如尝试另一种更为和缓一些的游戏活动，或许可以加入一些躯干的旋转和双腿的分合来缓解肌肉的张力。人体旋转木马是个不错的选择，做这项活动时，你需要将宝宝面对面地举高并使他（她）的腿盘在你的腰，然后加以原地旋转。请尽量记住，肌肉张力过低的宝宝通常比较适应快一些的游戏动作，而肌肉张力过高的宝宝则通常比较适应慢一些的节奏。另外补充一点，那就是你的宝宝并没有那么脆弱，所以不要害怕地与他们玩耍吧。


出处：书籍《Children with Cerebral Palsy: A Parent's Guide》

Give more love to those children with cerebral palsy！~