by A. Berthoz The publication of this volume, edited by Adriano Ferrari and Giovanni Cioni, is a major event for several reasons. Most importantly, it concerns an area of child pathology that has yet to be fully explored. In this context, the authors’ efforts to compile their observations as well as those of other clinicians and to elaborate their theories have resulted in an ess- tial step in the field of cerebral palsy (CP). The originality of the book is its very clear focus, while at the same time the authors have encouraged the book’s contributors to express their ideas and personal opinions. This leads sometimes to redundancy, but this is precisely one of the benefits of the book - cause the same problems are then exposed from different points of views. The reader is thus spared the normative attempts of many other pathology books, in which the compl- ity of a given disease is hidden by the authors’ or editors’ desire to impose a rigid taxo- my or epidemiology.

Cerebral palsy is a common pediatric problem and is the leading cause of childhood disability. It occurs at a rate of 3.6 cases per 1000 children, and represents a major social and psychological impact on both family and society. It is a group of disorders with movement difficulties being common for all affected patients. Its severity and extent are variable from one patient to another. Additionally, the impacts of cerebral palsy on daily activities, communications, and requirements are also variable. Recent advances in clinical research increase our knowledge and understanding of causal pathways, possible preventive measures, specific intervention strategies, and the value of new treatment modalities such as botulinum toxin and intrathecal baclofen in the management of cerebral palsy.

"A must-read for professionals, parents, and the individual with CP."-Deborah Gaebler-Spira, MDAn empowering and evidence-based guide for living a full life with spastic diplegia-bilateral cerebral palsy."This detailed and practical book on spastic diplegia, written by a parent in conjunction with medical practitioners at Gillette, is simply brilliant and fills a huge gap."-Lori Poliski, parentCerebral palsy (CP) is the most common cause of childhood-onset lifelong physical disability. Approximately one-third of those with CP have the subtype spastic diplegia-also known as bilateral spastic CP, or simply bilateral CP. An estimated 6 million worldwide have spastic diplegia. Until now, there has been no book focused on this condition to help this large group of people. This book focuses on the motor problems-problems with bones, muscles, and joints, and their impact on walking. The Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) is a five-level system that indicates the severity of the condition. This book is relevant to those at GMFCS levels I to III: those who are capable of walking independently or with a handheld mobility device. These three levels account for the majority of people with spastic diplegia.The book addresses how spastic diplegia develops over the lifespan and explains the evidence-based, best-practice treatments. It empowers parents of young children, and adolescents and adults with the condition, to become better advocates and co-decision makers in the medical process. The focus of this optimistic, yet practical book is on maximizing activity and participation-living life to its fullest. Health care professionals, educators, students, and extended family members will also benefit from reading this book. Indeed, while this book focuses on spastic diplegia, much of what is addressed also applies to other forms of spastic CP at GMFCS levels I to III, namely hemiplegia and quadriplegia.Written by Lily Collison, a parent of a son with spastic diplegia and a medical sciences graduate, in close collaboration with senior medical experts from Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare-a world-renowned center of excellence for CP treatment-this is an excellent, long-needed resource for spastic diplegia.