Many children who are later diagnosed with cp, initially have a diagnoses
of failure to thrive.  They are skinny, can't take nourishment in well,
often very fussy.  the nourishment issue is important.  Many children have
reflux, poor swallow reflexes, poor suck-swallow patterns.  This can make
food intake a labourous process, even dangerous.  They can often end up
with aspiration pneumonia.
Furthermore, without good nourishment, they fail to grow, and explore their
world.  They aren't as social as they are hungry and fussy.  Think of
Maslow's pyramid.  Basic physical needs must be met before you can work on
other needs.  We have a little guy with cp who ended up with a g-tube.  The
difference is, we have a kid who is social, making more noise, works hard
in therapy, loves to be cuddled, has the best dimples, and whoes color is
beautiful.  The difference is astounding.

Elizabeth Thiers, OTR
email: [log in to unmask]
homepage: http://www.bv.net/~john/bethsot1.html

----------
> From: Dave & Tammy Canfield <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: McCoy Quintuplets
> Date: Tuesday, April 27, 1999 6:03 PM
>
> Yeah, and that it's only involving muscle issues... and since when is a
> lack of growing a symptom of CP?
>
> Dana
>
> Reply:
>
> Lack of growth by itself may not be a symptom of CP, but slow weight gain
> can be because of the amount of calories taken to perform simple tasks.
> More than that with the McCoy children that makes doctors and others
> question CP is the slow motor development of these two.  They are not
> sitting up yet and have very little muscle control.
>
> Dave