The transition to adulthood for children with cerebral palsy: what do we know about their health care needs?

There have been significant changes in the clinical management of cerebral palsy (CP) during the past 2 decades. Gastrostomy tubes and nutritional supplements have been paramount in enhancing the life expectancy of those with CP. The literature shows that as many as 90% of children with CP can now expect to live to adulthood. As a result, CP is no longer considered to be a condition limited to childhood. However, emerging populations pose new challenges to those who provide health care support. This article presents an overview of what we know about the health care needs of adults with CP. When these children began living into their later teens in larger numbers, the existing pediatric services were able to support their needs. But entering adulthood poses many unique challenges, and the adult health care system has not been able to support their needs. To address this apparent gap, we need to understand the health care needs of adults who have CP and the factors that influence their access to appropriate care and use this knowledge to guide the development of adultoriented health care services for those with CP. This article explores what we know about the health care needs of adults with CP. It also explores some of the key factors that may pose challenges to accessing appropriate adult-oriented health care services.