It’s May 5th already, I’ve been bombarding you with facts about Cri du Chat Syndrome for 4 days and I have more facts for you today!

Cri du Chat Syndrome is not something that can be cured but we love, therapies and family support, our kids have more chances now to reach their full potential!

Coming directly from the 5p- Society website

Treatments

Occupational therapy

Occupational therapy benefits our kiddos by providing fine motor, visual perceptual, self-care and sensory integration intervention to assist the child/young adult to maximize their skills, develop new skills and be able to relate more effectively to the environment around them.  Occupational therapists who work with children have education and training in child development, neurology, medical conditions, psychosocial development, and therapeutic techniques.

Physical Therapy

Children with Cri du Chat syndrome may experience physical difficulties during their growth and development. Physical therapy can help your child’s physical development in the following ways: helping them to sit, stand, improve fine motor skills, etc. The goal of physical therapy for children is not to speed up the rate of their development, but to facilitate the development of optimal physical movement.

Speech Therapy

Speech therapists work with children from an early age to aid in swallowing by providing advice on what best methods exist for feeding. As children with Cri du Chat syndrome grow older, they may experience problems with their speech. Speech therapists provide guidance on assisting children with communication issues by utilizing and teaching different methods of communication such as: sign language, picture exchange system, technology assisted communication, etc.

Alternative Therapies

Many families have found the use of alternative therapies as a way to complement Occupational, Physical and Speech therapy.  Here is a list of therapies that other children and/or adults with the syndrome have benefited from:

• ABA Therapy (Applied Behavior Analysis)
• Adaptive Physical Education
• Aromatherapy
• Aquatic Therapy
• Behavior Therapy
• Cranial Sacral Therapy
• Dolphin Therapy
• Hippo-therapy (also known as Horse Therapy)
• Music Therapy
• Play Therapy
• Pragmatic Group Therapy
• Sensory Learning Therapy

We have tried many therapies and activities over the years.

One of Emily’s favorite is Hippo-Therapy although I am fairly certain that if Dolphin Therapy was available around here, she would make us buy her a membership for life 🙂

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