Every year, 6,000 babies are diagnosed with cerebral palsy
There are 17 million people with cerebral palsy worldwide. In Turkey, more than 6,000 babies are diagnosed with cerebral palsy each year. In order to draw attention to cerebral palsy, which is the most common physical disability in infancy and childhood caused by damage to the underdeveloped brain before, during or after birth, the Spastic Children's Foundation of Turkey organized the ninth Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Disorders Congress with International Participation between February 22-24 with the theme of "Changing Times, Developing Collaborations."
Field workers, physicians and experts will attend the congress, and on the closing day of the congress, questions from families were answered. The congress talked about the work carried out in Hatay with the slogan 'We are not returning'. In addition to all these, topics that should be considered during disaster periods were conveyed by medical professionals.
The press conference held on February 21 was attended by Nigar Evgin, General Director of the Spastic Children's Foundation of Turkey, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Semih Ayta, Congress President and Child Neurology Specialist, Prof. Dr. Hakan Şenaran, Orthopedics and Traumatology Specialist, Prof. Dr. Pelin Piştav Akmeşe, and Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Specialist, Prof. Dr. Baki Umut Tuğay, who shared the importance and purpose of the congress with the press members.
SERVICES ARE PROVIDED TO 650-700 CHILDREN EVERY MONTHNigar Evgin, General Director of the Spastic Children's Foundation of Turkey, said, “Our foundation was founded in 1972 by Prof. Dr. Hıfzı Özcan. Özcan, who met families while he was a university lecturer, started his activities by establishing an association that looked after the benefits of disabled individuals and their families. The association, which carries out its activities based entirely on volunteering, was established in 1989. Today, we continue to expand our services on our campus in Ataşehir. We work together to ensure that our main target audience, children and young people with cerebral palsy, are included in social life. On our campus, we can provide all kinds of rehabilitation, education and therapy services that individuals with cerebral palsy need from the moment of birth to advanced ages with a holistic approach. We have a staff of over 100 people in our center. We serve an average of 650-700 children every month.”
Congress President Assoc. Prof. Dr. Semih Ayta drew attention to the brain development and neurological factors of children with cerebral palsy and said, “We determined the main theme of our congress this year as ‘Changing Times and Developing Collaborations’ in order to emphasize the processes of adaptation to changing conditions in society and the collaborations that developed during this period, including the studies we initiated in Hatay after the earthquake disaster. 74 speakers from 4 different countries, Turkey, America, Australia and Switzerland, will participate in our congress. Our speakers will share the developments in the diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation processes of cerebral palsy with experts and families within the rich scientific program we have prepared. Cerebral palsy is a permanent but non-progressive disability that occurs when the developing brain is affected by a number of reasons before, during or after birth. Although posture and movement disorders are primarily at the forefront, it is a condition that can be accompanied by hearing, vision, mental and orthopedic problems. When we look at it from this perspective, experts and physicians working in different medical fields need to work together in the diagnosis and treatment of cerebral palsy. In Turkey, 4.4 out of every thousand babies born alive are diagnosed with cerebral palsy. This means that 6 thousand babies are diagnosed in a year. Caregivers and families as well as individuals and children with cerebral palsy need support. Our main motivation in implementing the family sessions at our congress is that our most important colleagues in making the lives of individuals with cerebral palsy easier are families,” he said.
"THE HAPPIER THE CHILD IS, THE EASIER IT IS FOR HIM TO LEARN"Prof. Dr. Pelin Piştav Akmeşe, who managed the secretariat of the congress, emphasized the importance of family in the diagnosis and treatment of cerebral palsy and said; “When it comes to children with cerebral palsy, the family is at the center. As physicians, we position ourselves around the family, manage the process hand in hand with the family and contribute to the child’s first development, then transition to school and employment. Everyone knows how important the first 3 years and preschool period of a healthy child are. When it comes to a child with cerebral palsy, this importance increases exponentially. A process in which all family members are involved in games is essential for the development of children with cerebral palsy. The happier the child is, the easier it can be for them to learn, and all life processes can be carried out comfortably. Only then can children adapt to education and life more easily. The support of all family members in this process is very valuable, but another issue we care about is the involvement of peers and siblings in treatment.”
Referring to the place and importance of physiotherapy in cerebral palsy treatment, Prof. Dr. Baki Umut Tuğay said, “We all work shoulder to shoulder as a huge team, both within the academic board and in the field, with a group with multifaceted problems. When we talk about a child with cerebral palsy, we talk about all the problems together. Physiotherapy has a very important place in solving or alleviating these problems. Early intervention program is extremely critical in babies born with complications. Families should definitely consult a pediatric neurologist if there is a course that is lagging behind, outside of the developmental processes of healthy children. In the process after the diagnosis is made, the treatment steps should be continued with care and determination. There is another important issue at this point. Families who are burdened with responsibilities, especially those who directly care for the child, are in this tiring process for a lifetime. At this point, it is very important for the caregiver to be psychologically supported in order for the treatment to progress healthily. I would like to touch on another issue. We have serious problems regarding the implementation of a rights-based approach. When we look at it from the perspective of children with cerebral palsy and their families, it can be quite challenging to access the services they can receive in terms of treatment services, equipment and education. Our physicians are very competent, but the materials that need to be obtained in our hospitals, especially for cerebral palsy treatment, can be insufficient. We do not wear white coats and see patients. We need to play with children during the treatment process. For this reason, inadequacies other than information can also disrupt the treatment process. Families suffer from this issue. Therefore, while we try to provide the best service, we unfortunately experience these problems with families in all these dimensions,” he said.
INTER-BRANCH CONTACT IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENTEmphasizing that there are many issues to be discussed and discussed about cerebral palsy, the Chairman of the Academic Board of the Turkish Spastic Children's Foundation, Prof. Dr. Hakan Şenaran, said, "I would like to emphasize that branches should work together for the diagnosis and treatment of cerebral palsy. Of course, the diagnosis is made as soon as the child is born or when they are a few months old. The first treatments of children with cerebral palsy are performed by pediatricians and physiotherapists, but pediatric orthopedics can only measure the mobility that occurs in orthopedic problems, such as "will they stand up? will they walk? will they be able to do their own work?" "When questions like these start to be asked, it comes into play. As pediatric orthopedists, we are a very well-organized team throughout Turkey and we try to follow up and treat these children at the earliest. As members of the academic board, we care about sharing scientific studies with the public in every detail. In our congress, our national and international valuable experts in many fields, including pediatric orthopedics, will share very valuable information with professionals and families," he said.
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