TREATMENTS FOR CEREBRAL-PALSY - MAKING CHOICES OF INTERVENTION FROM AN EXPANDING MENU OF OPTIONS

Family members face an increasing number of therapeutic and medical ch oices that can be made on behalf of their children with cerebral palsy . Various options are presented through the press and media, medical a nd educational literature, and the ''information highway.'' While deci sions about which courses of action to take are sometimes made unilate rally by families, often there are requests for input from the pediatr ician or other professionals working with the child. This article orga nizes the variety of options that may be chosen by families and profes sionals under three major ''menu'' headings. Information and resources are presented that might be helpful for families and professionals to use as they attempt to answer the question, ''What should we do?'' St rategies for supporting families as they make decisions about possible courses of action are described.