Description
By sharing our family’s experiences with the diagnosis of Cerebral Palsy, therapies, surgeries, and IEPs, I hope to offer insight into Family/Child care and building relationships with patients and families throughout different therapeutic needs and cycles.
Learning Outcomes:
The participant will be able to recognize that families are often thrust into a world with a language they do not speak and with systems they do not understand when a child receives the diagnosis of a childhood onset disability.
The participant will be able to recognize acceptance comes at different times through different means for each family and each patient.
The participant will be able to recognize hope is attainable for families and that often the therapist is the conduit to help the family find that.
Presenter Bio: Carol is mother to young adult triplets, two of whom have Cerebral Palsy, and she also has a pre-teen daughter. In 2008, her then 11-year-old son created a blog — The Blessing Counter — and encouraged her to write. His willingness to have his story told so that even just one family could find hope in the journey of raising children with Cerebral Palsy inspires her still.
Carol is passionate about helping others find the joy in raising their own children with CP; about helping our children reach their full potential; and knocking down road blocks that get in the way of just that. Her husband Wade is a pediatric orthopedic surgeon committed to the medical care of children with Cerebral Palsy. It is their family’s goal to remove helplessness and hopelessness from the diagnosis.
Carol holds a B.A. in Communication from Mississippi State University.