Patient's question:
Brother had a child last year, and now it's been over a year. Suddenly, he noticed some abnormalities—he can't lift his head or roll over, and his smiles also seem extremely unnatural. The final diagnosis was cerebral palsy.What kind of help is needed: Are there any dietary methods that can effectively complement the treatment for pediatric cerebral palsy?
Doctor's answer:
Children with cerebral palsy often encounter many difficulties when eating. For example, chewing, swallowing difficulties caused by head and body posture abnormalities, upper limb and hand control, coordination difficulties between the eyes, hands, and mouth, etc., all affect mealtime activities. When parents feed food into the child's mouth, immediately lift the child's chin with your fingers and prompt them to close their mouth. Parents can massage the skin around the child's mouth with their fingers to stimulate the area, several times a day, for 10 minutes each time, to enhance the child's oral closure ability. When food is fed into the child's mouth, if the child cannot swallow promptly, parents can gently massage the bottom of the jaw to promote the child's swallowing movement.