Carlos Aguilar Instructor: Mrs. Burt Academic Writing 5 & 6 10/06/2010 Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral Palsy Cerebral palsy is a physical disability, and it occurs when a child born. However, the parents do not know about this disability because the child does not show any symptom of cerebral palsy in the first six months. The consequences are great when a child has this disability, but the principal causes are bad medical practice, missing of oxygen during labor and birth trauma during labor and delivery such as the umbilical cord comes into of the neck. Also, cerebral palsy has different types; for instance the most frequent is spastic and mixed types while athetoid and ataxic are less common. These types are common through the world, but there are others types that the people rarely hear about. However, there are treatments for the cerebral palsy. For instance, the most important are oral medication, botox injections, physical rehabilitation, speech rehabilitation, and hands rehabilitation, yet these kinds of treatments might be a help for the child, he or she cannot be a normal person. First, the spastic cerebral palsy is a type very frequent at this time. It is a type where the child has one or more light muscle groups which limit movement. In addition, the child has a hard time moving from one position to another. Moreover, these children may have a hard time holding and letting go of objects. Second, the mixed cerebral palsy, it is a combination of the three kinds of cerebral palsy. For example, a child may bear with ataxic and spastic together, yet this child has mixed cerebral palsy. The treatment will be the same that each one.

Third, is ataxic cerebral palsy, and this form affects about 5-10 percent of the children diagnosed with cerebral palsy. The principal features are low muscle tone, and poor coordination of movements. Also, children with ataxic cerebral palsy look very unsteady and shaky. This rare form of cerebral palsy affects the sense of balance and depth perception, and affected persons often have poor coordination and walk unsteadily with a wide based gait, placing their feet unusually far apart. Besides, children with this kind of cerebral palsy can have difficult when they want to write something. Fourth, the athetoid cerebral palsy is caused by damage to the cerebellum or basal ganglia. About ten percent of children have this kind. In addition, the damage to these areas may cause a child to develop involuntary, purposeless movement, especially in the face, arms, and trunk. As a result, these involuntary movements often interfere with speaking, feeding, reaching, grasping, and other skills requiring coordinated movements. In addition, children with athetoid cerebral palsy often have low muscle tone and have problems maintaining posture for sitting and walking. In brief, the cerebral palsy is a disability and many people have a member of their family with this disability. Society does not believe that they cannot achieve a good job, a good education or a marriage. Moreover, these people have goals such as education, a career and high regard for their abilities. The society should be thinking a little more about of these people who are in the shades. To conclude, this phase is a symbol of them and says, “I am a ability not a disability”.