For all children, it is essential that their parents become actively involved in all aspects of their development on social, emotional, mental and physical levels. Children with cerebral palsy (CP) often have additional needs that make such involvement even more important.

SDO® Original Suit in No. 05 Goalie theme

It is important to focus not on what a child with CP cannot do but on what they CAN do. There are many activities that parents of children with CP can take part in with their child that will help to foster a sense of independence and achievement that will result in confidence and empowerment that will last well into the child's adult life. This edition of the Medigarments blog looks at some of these activities.

Music

Music is a universal language that can be enjoyed by everyone. Learning songs and singing along are great fun and have the added benefit of helping to increase vocabulary and improve speech. It's also a great idea to encourage children to make up their own songs, which fosters creativity skills.

Dancing to music is another fantastic way to help improve motor skills. The act of dancing doesn't have to involve the whole body: stamping the feet or clapping the hands are both lots of fun. Once again, it's important to focus on what the child CAN do rather that what they cannot.

Art

Whether drawing, painting, colouring-in or anything else, art activities provide excellent opportunities for creativity, relaxation and mastering motor skills. A study exploring the relationship between art and children with CP found that talking to children while they were making bead necklaces, modelling with clay and painting helped to improve the children's fluency, pauses, tempo and volume while talking.

Physical Activity

As the symptoms of CP mostly affect movement, physical activity is crucial for children with the condition. As well as the aforementioned dancing, yoga can be an excellent way to provide therapeutic benefits, helping to improve balance and coordination as well as enhancing muscle tone. Any kind of sport that a child with CP can do will also be beneficial. It's a good idea to do some research to find out if there are any sports clubs in your local area as joining such a club can be especially helpful in terms of social development.

SDO® Original: No. 1 choice for managing Cerebral Palsy conditions

Wearing dynamic compression garments such as vests, sleeves and shorts from the SDO^® Original collection by Medigarments Ltd can also provide plenty of therapeutic benefit to children with CP. The made to measure Class 1 medical devices, crafted from LYCRA^®, help to provide improvements in postural stability and musculoskeletal alignment.

To improve compliance and give children with CP a sense of ownership and empowerment when wearing SDO^® garments, Medigarments Ltd offers a wide range of garment themes to suit all tastes, below is a selection from our camouflaged themes, other themes include Daisy, Astronaut, Noir, Marshmallow, Striker, Ultraviolet and many more.

A selection of Medigarments Ltd's popular camouflage SDO® Original themes

Find out more about SDO® dynamic compression orthoses for children with CP by browsing the Medigarments website. If you have any questions about our products or wish to book onto one of our training courses on how to assess and prescribe dynamic LYCRA^®, please do not hesitate to contact our dedicated team directly.

All garments from the SDO^® range are expertly designed and manufactured here in the UK, this helps to strengthen and preserve vital manufacturing skills whilst supporting British jobs and increasing trade. To receive more special features like this, along with other news and company updates, please subscribe to our monthly newsletter and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

The World of SDO^® Sensory Dynamic Orthosis range of dynamic LYCRA^® compression garments by Medigarments Ltd. SDO^® is the registered trademark of Medigarments Ltd.