Preface

Chapter 7 **Neuromusculoskeletal Rehabilitation of Severe**

Balakrishnan and Amruta Kulkarni

Deepak Sharan, Joshua Samuel Rajkumar, Rajarajeshwari

Alejandro Rafael Garcia Ramirez, Cleiton Eduardo Saturno, Mauro José Conte, Jéferson Fernandes da Silva, Mísia Farhat, Fabiana de Melo Giacomini Garcez Garcez, Ana Carolina Savall and Elaine

Chapter 8 **Assistive and Adaptive Technology in Cerebral Palsy 173**

**Cerebral Palsy 141**

**VI** Contents

Carmelita Piucco

Cerebral palsy (CP), the most common cause of physical disability in children, is a nonprog‐ ressive neurological impairment that is a result of an injury in the developing brain and it causes various neuromuscular and cognitive disabilities. CP is often accompanied by other disturbances of sensation, cognition, communication, perception, and behavior and seizure problems. It also leads to multiple problems that affect functionality and psychosocial health of children and adolescents, so they are unable to play important roles in their family, school, and other environments. Thus, rehabilitation aims to improve functional health sta‐ tus and increase independence in daily life, school, and social environment, which are very crucial for the CP treatment. Rehabilitation of the child with CP is difficult, often frustrating, and sometimes depressing. This is even more pronounced in countries with limited resour‐ ces for the handicapped. An interdisciplinary management approach is the only means to integrate children with CP.

I would like to thank our book company InTech and all authors. I am indebted to Ms. An‐ drea Korić for helping us with text editing of this book.

I hope readers will benefit from our book and they will use this book in their treatment and clinical decision.

#### **Mintaze Kerem Gunel, PT, PhD, Prof.**

Hacettepe University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, Cerebral Palsy and pediatric Physiotherapy Unit, Ankara, Turkey

**Definition, Epidemiology and Etiological Factors of Cerebral Palsy**
