Therapy methods for cerebral palsy.

OBJECTIVE: Current approaches to therapy for cerebral palsy tend to be child-focussed and claim functional improvements. Such approaches lead to demands for more therapy and more services as the solution for problems associated with cerebral palsy. This report suggests an alternative approach.
METHODOLOGY: The literature on therapy methods for cerebral palsy is reviewed and compared with the literature on early intervention for children with intellectual disabilities.
RESULTS: The claims for functional improvements resulting from therapy methods cannot be substantiated. The literature on early intervention for children with cognitive impairments indicates a shift in emphasis from the child's impairments to the whole child, the family and the wider community.
CONCLUSIONS: Demands for more and better therapy are, at best, simplistic and tend to detract from the real needs of the child and family. An ongoing ecological approach is more likely to produce positive outcomes.