How to help your special needs child feel like they’re part of society Few things hurt as much as seeing the world shun your child. This week I found myself thinking about the role of friends as I was trying to work out how I can facilitate Emma’s inclusion into “normal” life. A life that … Continue reading Inclusive Living
Author: erikadrewes
I am an integrative doctor and also the mother of a very special little girl who has cerebral palsy. I blog about healing approaches that have helped us live life to the full.
An AAC device has transformed the way Emma communicates – but it took us a while to get here.
An Interview with Sonja Higham from Speak2Me on Assistive and Augmentative Communication for CP kids with speech challenges
What is AAC and how does it work? Sonja Higham from Speak2Me in Cape Town guided me through the different types of assistive communication What is AAC and how is it used?? Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) is an umbrella term for all types of assistive communication. Some people might only need support in communicating … Continue reading An Interview with Sonja Higham from Speak2Me on Assistive and Augmentative Communication for CP kids with speech challenges
The struggle with Sleep in kids with CP
Like many children with Cerebral Palsy, Emma has always struggled with sleep. Here’s my approach to ensure she (and me) has the best possible chance of rest. One of the reasons I don’t post on this blog as regularly as I would like is because I live my life in the twilight zone of fatigue. … Continue reading The struggle with Sleep in kids with CP
Can you prevent Cerebral Palsy? Here’s how Vitamin D could play a powerful role in preventing CP
Like every parent whose premature child has severe Cerebral Palsy, I have spent hours agonizing over the possible causes of my child’s brain injury. Initially we thought her injury was due to the traumatic birth but, truth be told, I found that really hard to believe. During my years as a hospital doctor, I spent … Continue reading Can you prevent Cerebral Palsy? Here’s how Vitamin D could play a powerful role in preventing CP
Curing Cerebral Palsy: why its not just a matter of retraining the neuronal network.
In the past five years since we have been doing connective tissue targeting therapies on Emma, she was finally able to progress. I want to jump for joy every time I look at her because I can just see how far she has come. Today she is attending a school for kids with CP and … Continue reading Curing Cerebral Palsy: why its not just a matter of retraining the neuronal network.
A new chapter: Choosing the best therapy for my CP child – right now
I started writing this blog because I wanted to encourage and inform parents who were living through a similar situation to ours. When I was pregnant with Emma in 2009, I would – like all expectant mothers – talk to my baby. This was a difficult time in our family’s life. There was financial stress … Continue reading A new chapter: Choosing the best therapy for my CP child – right now
Supplements and Cerebral Palsy
Kids with Cerebral Palsy often struggle to eat and absorb all the nutrients in their food, so supplementing with vitamins and nutrients can be a good idea – if carefully managed I have purposefully kept this post to the last in my nutrition series because I feel that when you get the diet right, you … Continue reading Supplements and Cerebral Palsy
Tubefeeding, nutrition and real food mealtimes
Many kids with grade 4 and 5 CP have feeding tubes. I am always amazed at how connective tissue targeting therapies can help these children on their journey to eating by themselves. However, not all children are able to make this step. While this can be disappointing to parents, I always feel that these therapies … Continue reading Tubefeeding, nutrition and real food mealtimes
Feeding older children with CP. Avoid Dairy? Avoid Wheat? Food intolerance tests?
Everyone seems to be an expert on nutrition these days, and some of these experts are particularly wacky. When I moved from "I'll give Emma anything as long as she eats something" to "what can I feed her that can help her heal?" I learned a huge amount. It's taken me several years, though. I … Continue reading Feeding older children with CP. Avoid Dairy? Avoid Wheat? Food intolerance tests?
My Emma 