This totally new clinical text gives: • Guidance on how best to study causes • An account and analysis of international research • Methods of collection and analysis of data • A review of all published data • New ways of thinking about causal pathways in the cerebral palsies • Possible new prevention pathways • A guide to systematic management

This text draws together a number of major epidemiological studies of the cerebral palsies from many different countries. The first chapter is a historical review by Dr. Tom Ingram, who translated much of Freud's original writings on cerebral palsy, and is an acknowledged expert in this field. The editors have then drawn together critical evidence from several countries on prenatal, perinatal and postnatal risk factors contributing to cerebral palsy and have also considered the role played by social factors. A chapter by Jonathan Wigglesworth examines how these adverse factors may modify brain development and result in handicap to the child. The methodological problems of classifying and counting the cerebral palsies and assessing their frequency are fully discussed, and the difficult question of how far the perinatal health services have an impact on outcome is considered. Altogether, this is a comprehensive book on this topic, and a valuable reference source for anyone working in the field of cerebral palsy or epidemiology.

When a child has a health problem, parents want answers. But when a child has cerebral palsy, the answers don't come quickly. A diagnosis of this complex group of chronic conditions affecting movement and coordination is difficult to make and is typically delayed until the child is eighteen months old. Although the condition may be mild or severe, even general predictions about long-term prognosis seldom come before the child's second birthday. Written by a team of experts associated with the Cerebral Palsy Program at the Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, this authoritative resource provides parents and families with vital information that can help them cope with uncertainty. Thoroughly updated and revised to incorporate the latest medical advances, the second edition is a comprehensive guide to cerebral palsy. The book is organized into three parts. In the first, the authors describe specific patterns of involvement (hemiplegia, diplegia, quadriplegia), explain the medical and psychosocial implications of these conditions, and tell parents how to be effective advocates for their child. In the second part, the authors provide a wealth of practical advice about caregiving from nutrition to mobility. Part three features an extensive alphabetically arranged encyclopedia that defines and describes medical terms and diagnoses, medical and surgical procedures, and orthopedic and other assistive devices. Also included are lists of resources and recommended reading.

This third edition systematically reviews recent developments in the diagnosis and evidence-based treatment of cerebral palsy, a consequence of foetal and early infant brain damage resulting in lifelong disabilities with a range of clinical characteristics. The first part discusses the definition, aetiology, classification, imaging and neuropathology, while the second focuses on the management of the individual challenges that children with cerebral palsy face, such as spasticity, dyskinesia, feeding problems and scoliosis. Based on the diverse characteristics of cerebral palsy, children require care from various specialists, including neuro-paediatricians, orthopaedists, psychologists, epidemiologists, physiotherapists and occupational therapists. This work was written by an international team of such specialists, providing a comprehensive mix of perspectives and expertise.

Expanded and revised, this unique book provides concise descriptions of the many causes of epilepsy, for use in clinical practice.