User:Ksonite/Cri du chat syndrome

Treatment/Management
There is not a specific way to treat Cri du Chat syndrome, as the brain damage caused by this condition occurs in the early stages of embryo development. Intensive treatment is rarely needed in infants and they can be treated in neonatal pathology departments. Children may be treated by speech, physical and occupational therapists. If infants have difficulty in suction or swallowing, then physical therapy should begin in the first weeks of life. Heart abnormalities often require surgical correction and specialist attention. Oral stimulation intervention in infant patients with Cri du chat syndrome increased their suckling ability. This intervention will later provide the infant with the ability to obtain the nutrients they require with minimal help. Due to the rarity of this disorder, this has only been tested on a miniscule sample size where approximately 20% increase in oxygen saturation was found during feeding from a baseline phase to an intervention phase (using the oral stimulation intervention technique).

Educational priorities vary for students with Cri du chat. Many parents of students with Cri du chat prioritize basic self care and motor skills when discussing the educational goals of the student. This was prevalent still when discussing belonging or safety skills that these students already had some competence in (such as communication), in that these social skills were less of a priority, given that the parent saw the child was already showing any competence in these areas. While building on the strengths of students with Cri du chat syndrome was less prioritized among parents, it is important to obtain further data in the teaching method of students with this disorder to see if using their strengths to help build the areas that are lacking (such as self care and motor skills) could be a turning point in these students Individual Education Plans.