Help the Cri
Living With Cri du Chat
The rare genetic disorder of cri du chat has immense impact on the lfe of the individual affected and their familly, As the individal living with the disorder has various cogitive and health problems, they face numerous challenges in their daily lives. The predominant issue of speech delay creates the most implications, as a child with cri du chat syndrome will retain more than what they are able to comprehend and express. As a result, the child will become frustrated and will develop severe behavioural issues. Constant attention to the child from family members is always needed, altering the lives of the diagnosed child's loved ones. Ordinary, simple activies can easily become a burden, as burshing a child with cri du chat's teeth can lead to a mental breakdown or dinner at the dinner table can result to a tantrum as the child wanted a different food yet could not effectively communicate that. The level of independance in the child depends on their own potential combined with the skills of those training them. The most servely affected need full time care throughout their lives, however most are capable of independantly caring for themselves but require supervision. (Mainardi, 2013).
Treatments
There is no treatment to cure cri du chat syndrome. The treatment available is geared to stimulate the child and aid them to reach thier full potenial. Treatment includes; speech therapy, physcial therapy, occcupational therapy, and behavioural management. (Mainardi, 2013).
As most children with the syndrome experience severe speech development problems, speech therapy is essential. The early introduction of alternative means of communication, such as communication devices, will enhance the child's speech development, language acquisition and behaviour. Improving a child's ability to communicate not only allows their needs to be known, but also helps them to develop intellectually and socially, improving the quality of their lives immeasurably. (Mainardi, 2013).
Physical therapy and occupational therapy are recommended to improve motor skills. These therapies uses a variety of treatments to help build strength, improve movement, and strengthen skills needed to complete daily activities. (Mainardi, 2013).
Since miscommunciation and misundertsanding between the child and others is inevitabile, behaviour therapy will aim to change the self-destructing unwanted behaviours. The therapy will allow the affected child to control and manage their emotions effectively. (Mainardi, 2013).
Children with cri du chat syndrome typically attend a public school, however either enroll in a special education enviornment or require an assistant teacher by their side. (Mainardi, 2013.).
For the parents and/or family of the affected child, is is vital they network with the support organizations. This will allow the parents to completely realize they are not they only ones going through this. Through interacting with other families who also have a child with cri du chat, parents will learn different effective strategies used for other affected children and will quickly realize the diverse range of ability levels for individuals with the syndrome.