Main description:

At the end of September 1984 Dr. M. Velickovi~ and Prof. H. Prechtl with the help of the International Cerebral Palsy Society organized an international conference on "New develop ments in the assessment of early brain damage" in Bled, Yugo slavia. I was invited as a speaker at this conference and I went there, curious, but without too much knowledge about the central theme: cerebral palsy. During the conference and a satellite meeting I became impressed by the quality of various contributions and also by the great variety of problems related to the etiology, early diagnosis, management and psychosocial aspects of cerebral palsy. Today, in many areas of biology and medicine, progress seems to require concentration on a very narrow field. As a consequence many conferences are highly specialized and most (young) scientists rightly consider this as most useful for their own work. On the other hand the care of patients and counselling of parents and other close relatives require a multidisciplinary approach. Also, advances in the study of complicated un resolved medical biological pr'oblems are often made unex pectedly by using ideas, theories, approaches or methods from other disciplines.

Contents:

1 Introduction and Conclusions.- The editors.- 2 Epidemiology of Cerebral Palsy and other Major Neurodevelopmental Impairments - Relations to Perinatal Events.- 3 Early Diagnosis and Prevention of Genetic Disease.- 4 Ultrasonography of the Normal and Abnormal Fetal Neuro Anatomy.- 5 Pre- and Perinatal Factors and Neurological Dysfunction.- 6 The Significance of Neonatal Neurological Diagnosis.- 7 Early Detection of Visual Impairments.- 8 Some Perspectives on Management of Speech and Language Disorders in Cerebral Palsy.- 9 The Importance of Early Treatment.- 10 Therapy for the Motor Disorders.- 11 Intuitive Parenting Behaviour; an Early Support for the Infant'S Mental Health and Development.- 12 Mothers - A Private Depression.- 13 Parents and Handicapped Children.- 14 Major Contributors.