Overview of therapy

[Extract] This chapter includes brief summaries and descriptions of
• general therapeutic approaches;
• therapeutic interventions more commonly used by occupational therapists and physiotherapists; and
• common medical and surgical procedures for people with cerebral palsy in which physiotherapists and occupational therapists may be involved in providing complementary care.

This chapter does not include descriptions of all therapeutic interventions for people with cerebral palsy. The interventions selected are those with evidence supporting their effectiveness or those that are more commonly practised. Although many of the interventions are appropriate for both children and adults, some were specifically developed for, and only have research evidence relating to, children. The case-based chapters that follow in Parts 2, 3 and 4 expand upon some of the topics introduced in this chapter, providing practical examples of the clinical application of the interventions described. The therapeutic approaches in this chapter are grouped under the three headings ‘general approaches to therapy’, ‘therapeutic interventions’ and ‘common medical and surgical procedures’. Both ‘therapeutic interventions’ and ‘common medical and surgical procedures’ are listed and described in alphabetical order.