In Australia a child is born with Cerebral Palsy every 18 hours. Cerebral Palsy can be seen in the first 12-18 months of life as it presents when children fail to reach their movement milestones.
Cerebral Palsy is a lifelong non progressive (but it can be changing) child hood disability. It is characterised by an inability to fully control motor function, particularly muscle control and coordination. Depending on which areas of the brain have been damaged one or more of the following may occur- abnormal sensation and perception, impairment of sight, hearing or speech, seizures and/or mental retardation.
Spastic Cerebral Palsy affects 70-80% of cases, the muscles are stiffly and permanently contracted. Quardaplegia affects all 4 limbs, trunk and head control. Sufferers cannot walk, have difficulty sitting, not able to move to and from a wheelchair independently and usually aren't able to feed themselves.
The good news is that chances of lessening the effects of Cerebral Palsy are greater when therapies are started at an early age.
That's awesome Dawn, thanks for sharing xoxo
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