Await Diagnosis

The toughest time for parents that suspect their child may have Cerebral Palsy is during the period before they have an official diagnosis. Because, in most cases, obtaining a diagnosis is a long waiting process of evaluations and observations, parents are caught in limbo about something that could have a transformative effect on their child’s future, their family. They worry most about their child’s health, having discovered that their child’s development is slower than that of other children. Could my child have Cerebral Palsy? Could it be something worse? And, the months linger on.

There are no definitive tests for Cerebral Palsy. Diagnosis requires a series of tests, observations, growth charting and specialist consults. Other conditions must be ruled out. In many ways, the unknown is what’s most troubling about the diagnosis process.

Parents who have come to accept the historically lengthy diagnosis process have their hands tied when trying to at least address their child’s symptoms, enroll in early interventions, submit invoices to insurance companies and seek therapies without a formal diagnosis. Diagnosis can take three to five years while the child’s brain is still developing.

For decades, physicians have been overly cautious in diagnosing Cerebral Palsy and other motor delays. But recently, the American Academy of Pediatrics stressed the importance of early diagnosis in a clinical report, “Motor Delays: Early Identification and Evaluation,” going to the extent to model an evaluation plan with shorter waiting periods.

There are several coping strategies parents can employ during this time. Personal empowerment, information gathering, envisioning acceptance, and enjoying their child are just a handful of pieces of a puzzle that, in time, will completely assemble.

While physicians are doing their work, and while parents are bonding with their child, answers emerge.