Cerebral Palsy Clinic

Cerebral Palsy and Complex Tone Management Clinic

Comprehensive Care for CP and Related Disorders

Cerebral palsy (CP) and related brain disorders or injuries can affect how a child’s brain and muscles communicate. This causes difficulty with movement, posture and muscle tone.

Our multispecialty CP program located at Phoenix Children’s Barrow Neurological Institute can help kids with mild or severe symptoms. Our experts cooperate to help your child move, function and feel better, while avoiding complications of chronic disability as children grow.

We stay at the forefront of nationally networked collaborative research, providing access to the latest and most effective therapies, customized to your child’s needs.

Getting to Know Your Child

Every child is unique and so is every case of cerebral palsy and other brain disorders. Symptoms depend on which parts of the brain are affected. You can learn more about cerebral palsy and other conditions in Phoenix Children’s online health library.

Our specialists take time to evaluate your child’s condition and develop an individualized care plan that’s right for your child. We address common challenges, such as:

• Bone, hip and spine problems
• Muscle weakness  
• Poor motor control (ability to control movements)
• Spasticity and dystonia (tight or stiff muscles and involuntary contractions)
• Tight joints and contractures (muscle shortening)
• Uncontrolled movements
• Unsteady gait (how your child walks)

The Cerebral Palsy Program at Phoenix Children’s offers cross-specialty care for cerebral palsy and related conditions, particularly those that cause difficulty with muscle tone and movement. Your child has a support network from day one, dedicated to improving life for kids with cerebral palsy or other brain and spine conditions.

Teamwork and Resources

Our multidisciplinary team includes doctors and therapists in these and other specialized areas:

• Movement disorders neurology
• Neurosurgery
• Orthopedics
• Physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R)
• Psychology

Our CP team assures you of the highest standards of care and comprehensive treatment for this condition.

Complex Tone Management Clinic

Children with CP and related conditions receive individualized care in our Complex Tone Management Clinic, which offers multispecialty consultation in pediatric neurosurgery, pediatric PM&R, pediatric orthopedics and pediatric movement disorders neurology. We will develop an integrated care plan for challenges your child may face.

National and Global Leadership

As a Cerebral Palsy Research Network (CPRN) Center of Excellence, we stay on the leading edge of research and clinical trials to continually improve diagnosis and care. The CPRN network includes top children’s hospitals dedicated to establishing and achieving gold standards of care for children living with cerebral palsy.

Our CPRN partnerships enabled us to launch the National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded Genetic Basis of CP study. We are also founding members of the International Cerebral Palsy Genomics Consortium (ICPGC).

Seamless Services

Our services for children with cerebral palsy and other disabling conditions range from advanced diagnostics to innovative treatments, with full support at every step. Highlights include:

• Comprehensive rehab – We offer inpatient and outpatient physical, occupational and speech therapy, and specialty programs such as augmentative communication, constraint therapy and our Mobility Clinic. 
• Movement specialists – Experts study your child in motion, assisted by high-tech resources such as functional MRI and motion analysis lab studies to guide care.
• Coordinated care – Specialists work closely together, and nurses and other practitioners provide education and access as well as arrange services.
• Integrated therapies – Each child’s care plan incorporates the best medical, surgical and other therapies, including oral medications, targeted injections, procedures such as selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR), intrathecal baclofen pump (ITB), deep brain stimulation, and orthopedic muscle, bone or joint surgery.

Learn more about our programs and services.