Supporting a child with cerebral palsy starts with understanding their individual strengths, needs and goals. The right plan could involve therapy, creating an accessible home and finding ways to provide opportunities to take part in family and community life.

Here, Sally Leonards, a partner in JMW’s clinical negligence team with expertise in cerebral palsy compensation claims explains the practical support that will allow a child with cerebral palsy to live the best possible life. Sally also looks at when it may be appropriate to investigate whether medical negligence caused or contributed to the condition, and how a claim could fund care, therapy, equipment, adapted accommodation and other long-term needs.

What Support Might a Child With Cerebral Palsy Need?

The help a child needs will vary depending on how cerebral palsy affects their movement, speech, learning, personal care and independence. Their care team should review these needs as they develop.

Children with cerebral palsy will not need every form of provision. The aim is to build a practical plan around the child's specific needs rather than make assumptions based only on diagnosis. Regular reviews allow the plan to change as they grow, enter education and become young people.

How Can Movement and Physical Development be Supported

Cerebral palsy affects a person’s movement, balance, posture and muscle tone. Some people experience muscle stiffness or shortened muscles, while others have reduced muscle control or trouble controlling involuntary movements. These movement difficulties may affect the whole body, one side or particular limbs.

Physiotherapy can aid mobility, strength, balance and range of movement. A physiotherapist may recommend, for children,  safe physical activity and play suited to the child’s abilities, to help them practice motor skills. Physiotherapy will also help prevent muscles from shortening.

Some children use mobility aids such as wheelchairs or walking frames. Equipment should be assessed for each child’s needs and reviewed as they grow. Medication or surgical interventions may sometimes form part of treatment, but these decisions will be made by the child’s paediatrician and orthopaedic surgeon, who may monitor their joints and muscles.

If your child would like to get involved in sport, Cerebral Palsy Sport has information on accessible activities for all ages.

How Can You Support Communication?

Parents can help children communicate by recognising the ways they express themselves, not only by spoken words. Children who have trouble communicating through speech may use gestures, facial expressions, pictures, symbols, signing or technology.

A speech and language therapist will assess how cerebral palsy affects a child’s speech and understanding. They may recommend communication aids such as picture boards, voice-output devices, tablets or eye-gaze systems. Speech and language therapy may also help children who have difficulty with eating, drinking or swallowing.

It is important to give children enough time to respond and talk directly to them. A physical disability or difficulty speaking should never lead people to assume that children do not understand what is being said.

How Can You Encourage Independence in Daily Life?

To encourage as much independence as possible, it can help to give children meaningful opportunities to take part, make choices and develop skills at their own pace. Independence does not mean expecting them to manage without help. Some children will require significantly more help than others, and many will always rely on others for most - if not all - activities of daily living. 

Occupational therapy focuses on the activities that matter in daily life. An occupational therapist may look at washing, dressing, eating, play, handwriting or using a computer. They can suggest adapted utensils, specialist seating, accessible furniture or practical ways to break tasks into manageable stages where possible.

Assistive technologies can also allow children to control lights, doors, entertainment or voice-output equipment. If they are able to, small choices, such as selecting clothes, food or an activity, can help build confidence and decision-making skills.

JMW’s guide to accommodation for children with cerebral palsy covers how ramps, accessible bathrooms, hoists, wider doorways and space for equipment or carers can improve a child's quality of life.

What Support Can Help at Nursery or School?

Children with cerebral palsy may attend a mainstream or specialist school. The right setting will depend on whether the school can meet the child’s access, teaching, therapy and communication needs.

A school may need to provide an accessible classroom, supportive seating, extra time, rest breaks or alternative ways to complete work. Communication aids and assistive technology allow a child to show their academic skills when handwriting or speech is difficult.

Schools should also help and encourage children to build friendships and social skills alongside other children. A SENCO can coordinate provision, while an Education, Health and Care Plan will set out the education, health and social care provision required in England.

Read JMW’s guide to education, EHCPs and specialist schooling for children with cerebral palsy for more detail.

How Can You Support Your Child’s Wellbeing and Family Life?

A child’s life should not be organised only around appointments, therapy and equipment. Of course, play, friendships and personal interests matter too. Adapted activities can help children with cerebral palsy take part in activities alongside siblings and peers.

Children and young people may sometimes experience frustration, anxiety or low mood, particularly where pain, tiredness, barriers to being understood or exclusion affect everyday life. Speak to the child’s GP or care team if you are concerned about their psychological wellbeing.

Parents and siblings may also need practical help, emotional support and breaks. It is understandable for parents to feel overwhelmed at times, and contact with other families can reduce isolation. Asking for help can make caring responsibilities more sustainable.

Where Can Families Find Practical Support?

There are many resources for supporting children and young people with cerebral palsy and their families. Useful starting points include:

• JMW’s Cerebral Palsy Hub, which brings together information, perspectives from people with cerebral palsy and useful organisations.
• JMW’s Ultimate Cerebral Palsy Resource List, covering charities, therapy, equipment, education, respite and financial guidance.
• Brainwave, which offers family-centred programmes for children with disabilities
• Peeps, which helps families affected by hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy, a condition that can lead to a high risk of cerebral palsy. JMW was one of the first firms appointed to Peeps’ Legal Support panel.
• bibic, which provides developmental assessments for children and young people. JMW has worked with bibic since it became one of the firm’s charities of the year in 2022.
• Cerebral Palsy Sport, which helps people with cerebral palsy access sport and physical activity.

Local support services differ by area. A paediatrician, health visitor, SENCO or local authority will be able to explain what services are available near your area.

Could Medical Negligence Have Contributed to Cerebral Palsy?

Cerebral palsy is not always caused by medical negligence. However, a claim may be possible where substandard care during pregnancy, labour, delivery or shortly after birth caused or materially contributed to the child’s brain injury.

Examples may include a failure to:

• Monitor or respond appropriately to fetal distress.
• Escalate concerns to an obstetrician.
• Arrange an urgent assisted delivery or caesarean section.
• Recognise and treat severe newborn jaundice.
• Respond to breathing difficulties or dangerously low blood sugar after birth.

Parents do not need to know exactly what went wrong before speaking to a solicitor. JMW can obtain the medical records and ask independent experts whether the care met a reasonable standard and whether any failings caused the injury.

Read more about what causes cerebral palsy and JMW’s approach to cerebral palsy medical negligence claims.

How Can a Medical Negligence Claim Help Put Support in Place?

Where medical negligence has caused cerebral palsy, compensation can help meet needs created by the injury. It is assessed around the individual child and how those needs may change through childhood and into adult life.

What compensation can cover

Depending on the evidence, a claim may include the cost of:

• Professional care and assistance
• Physiotherapy and occupational therapy
• Speech and language therapy
• Specialist equipment and mobility aids
• Communication aids and assistive technology
• Adapted accommodation
• Education and developmental provision
• Accessible transport
• Future care as the child becomes an adult

It funds reasonable additional provision that available services do not fully provide, where the evidence shows this is needed because of the injury.

How independent experts assess a child’s needs

Independent experts may assess care, therapy, equipment, communication, education, accommodation, transport and future independence. Their evidence helps us understand the child’s current needs and plan for changes as they grow.

Equipment suitable for a young child may not meet their needs as a teenager or adult. Parents who can lift a small child may need professional care and hoisting equipment as the child grows and develops. A long-term assessment looks beyond the immediate position.

JMW’s cerebral palsy case studies show how families’ needs can involve care, therapy, equipment and suitable accommodation. You can also read more about how solicitors help with a cerebral palsy claim.