Doody's Review Service

Reviewer:	Cristina Brea, MD (Shirley Ryan AbilityLab)

Description
This book acts as a practical guide for families of those with spastic diplegia. The book covers general definitions of cerebral palsy then dives deep into special considerations with regards to diplegia cerebral palsy. It explains detailed explanations of various medical and therapeutic expectations through age 0-20 then further information regarding expectations in adult years. The book includes patient accounts of "living with cerebral palsy" to help bring real-world experiences into the forefront. It also provides information for further reading and research opportunities for patients and families. The previous edition was published in 2020.

Purpose
The book's purpose is to guide families and caretakers of those with diplegia cerebral palsy to help decode the complex medical jargon they are likely hearing in their daily lives. This type of resource is important as it helps provide families with straight-forward explanations of medical practice and potential expectations they should have for their family member's care throughout their life. Throughout the book, there are small anecdotes or sections written by contributing family members of patients with cerebral palsy, adding a grounding element of personal experience to help bring context to different sections. The book clearly meets its objectives in being a practical guide for families. It is written in easy-to-understand language with relevant details and personal accounts.

Audience
The book's primary audience is family members and caretakers of those with Cerebral Palsy, specifically spastic diplegia. It is part of a series known as the Gillette Children's Healthcare Series which covers several different topics all with the same goal of providing education to families and caretakers. The author of this book, who has a background in medical science and who, herself, was the primary caretaker of her now adult son with spastic diplegia also wrote the first book of the series. Gillette Children's Hospital now has its own publishing arm and has expanded this series across nine titles. Editors of this specific title include physical therapists, occupational therapists, and medical doctors who all provide direct care for patients with cerebral palsy. The book meets its intended goals by providing complete medical information in addition to patient anecdotes.

Features
The book provides a comprehensive explanation of cerebral palsy, in general, then delves into the important specific needs and expectations for those with spastic diplegia. By starting with a full chapter on the general definition of cerebral palsy and routinely used classification scales, the book presents fundamental knowledge of cerebral palsy that can then be applied throughout the continuation of the book. It goes on to define spastic diplegia and delves into the nuances of the type of brain injury, the effects on the musculoskeletal system, and other associated problems. With that groundwork, the book then describes the medical management of spastic diplegia in childhood (ages 0-20) and goes into appropriate detail regarding various treatments for spasticity, orthopedic intervention, rehabilitation therapies, commonly used assistive technology, and community integration. It then presents information about spastic diplegia in adulthood and how aging can affect patients' needs. The last sections of the book focus on patient-specific anecdotes from patients and family members which truly aligns with the stated objective of the book. It gives families realistic guidelines, experiences, and expectations from those who have lived experiences. Later sections provide future reading and research in the field to help guide families on useful resources. Of note, the book is organized in an easy-to-read manner. Language is appropriate to its audience, and it uses clear pictures, charts, and graphs throughout the text to explain concepts. The images and charts used are clear and descriptions concise. Throughout the book there are highlighted sections pertaining to direct family anecdotes that enrich the section in which they are found. For example, at the end of a section about walking in individual with spastic diplegia, there is a highlighted section where the contributing author provides personal commentary related to her son's gait pattern and how gait analysis helped tailor their management plan. There are similar interjections throughout which again act towards the book's main objective: guiding families.

Assessment
This book serves as a comprehensive guide for families of those with spastic diplegia. It does a fantastic job of digesting complex medical jargon into easy-to-read language with interspersed personal anecdotes, helping reach the intended audience in a meaningful way. It can also benefit medical professionals as it can demonstrate useful ways to present complicated information to their patients' families. I would recommend this book for all those who have family members with spastic diplegia and to medical professionals who have direct care of those patients, as well.