Avery Cerebral Palsy - Challenges

Challenges of Cerebral Palsy

February 5th, 2024 by Fischer Avery

Challenges and Solutions

Limited mobility is the defining challenge of cerebral palsy (CP) as a disability. Individuals with CP may require assistance walking or may even be paralyzed. This makes everyday activities a bit more difficult, since the rest of the world has not completely accommodated people for people unable to use their legs. CP may be defined by the effects that it has upon the motor development of the people who have this disability, but it is also associated with the presence of other challenges. CP is associated with significantly higher rates of intellectual disability, seizures, mental health disorders, and sensory problems. Issues with chewing are also often reported due to the impact that this disability has on motor movement. It is because of these reasons that many individuals with CP cannot work and require a caregiver. However, there are individuals with CP who can retain some motor capabilities and perform everyday duties with some accommodations. Workplace accommodations that are co case by case are necessary for these individuals, as is social inclusion and emotional support from peers and family. Some people with CP may simply need an extra hand sometimes, and it is up to them to communicate with their fellow staff of their needs (Yi et al., 2019). 

Challenges and Issues for Family Members

Care giving for an individual with cerebral palsy can be quite expensive. Because of the fact that many individuals with CP are unfit to work due to their limited mobility, their needs are going to need to be paid for through some avenue other than the disabled individual. This means that the caregiver must not only care for themselves financially, but also the other individual. This includes housing, food, clothing, etc... This issue is made especially harder due to the time consuming nature of caring for another human being. The time that a caregiver dedicates towards providing for an individual with CP takes away time for that caregiver to dedicate towards their career that they are using to fund the care they are providing. So balancing out time and money with the care of another individual who cannot help the situation can become very difficult. This also leads to yet another challenge faced by caregivers of individuals with CP, which is confinement. Many caregivers do not have extra time to use for leisure, and they must be present for the individual in the case that they may require assistance. This can create a feeling of confinement that results in poor mental health outcomes for a good portion of family caregivers (Dlamini et al., 2023). 

Issues in Societal Areas and Solutions

One societal issue encountered by individuals with CP is trouble with inclusiveness. Many individuals with CP lack a feeling of belonging within their peer groups, due to their inability to participate in any of the activities that children indulge in during play. Individuals with CP are also subject to discrimination in the workforce. The lack of accommodations in the workforce for individuals with CP leads to many of them being looked over as a potential employee prospect. By increasing exposure to individuals with CP in early education and incorporating lessons that are geared towards educating children about disabilities, the social inclusiveness of individuals with CP can be improved on a large scale. This early education would also help to eradicate generational stigma and assumptions towards those with disabilities, and instead teach children accurate information about disabilities, how they can help accommodate for disabled children, and why it is important to do so. This will ensure that at least the majority of children are exposed to accurate and non-discriminatory perspectives towards disabilities so that they will be less likely to hold on to stigma (Kuliński & Żukowska, 2019). 

Mainstreaming the Child/Adolescent

Mainstreaming a child into the classroom structure would require the creation and execution of an educational plan, the establishment of a supervisor who can check in on the student periodically as needed, educating the peers of the student about the condition and how they can help the disabled student, and making appropriate accommodations to the classroom in order to ensure that the disabled student has equal access to materials so that they can participate in each activity (Schnecker et al., 2006). 

Societal Awareness and Accommodations 

Societal awareness and accommodations are absolutely essential in order to create a more inclusive, healthy, and productive society. Social awareness of the different challenges and solutions related to living with disabilities like cerebral palsy makes it possible for different people and organizations to make the necessary changes needed in order to make it possible for these individuals to live satisfying and comfortable lives (Marini & Stebnicki, 2018). Such accommodations would improve the mental health of a struggling population, would improve societal and interpersonal interactions with disabilities like CP on a grand scale, and would improve the productivity of our species thanks to the help from individuals who were once ignored, neglected, and maltreated. 

References

Dlamini, M. D., Chang, Y. J., & Nguyen, T. T. B. (2023). Caregivers' experiences of having a child with cerebral palsy. A meta-synthesis. Journal of pediatric nursing, 73, 157–168. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedn.2023.08.026

Kuliński, W., & Żukowska, M. (2019). Cerebral palsy: clinical and social problems. Wiadomosci lekarskie (Warsaw, Poland : 1960), 72(12 cz 1), 2261–2268.

Marini, I., & Stebnicki, M. A. (2018). The psychological and social impact of illness and disability, (7th ed.). Springer Publishing. ISBN: 9780826161611

Nutricia. (n.d.). Common challenges for children with cerebral palsy. [Graphic]. https://www.nutricia.com/specialize/pediatric-drm/cerebralpalsy.html

Schenker, R., Coster, W., & Parush, S. (2006). Personal assistance, adaptations and participation in students with cerebral palsy mainstreamed in elementary schools. Disability and Rehabilitation, 28(17), 1061-1069.

Yi, Y. G., Jung, S. H., & Bang, M. S. (2019). Emerging Issues in Cerebral Palsy Associated With Aging: A Physiatrist Perspective. Annals of rehabilitation medicine, 43(3), 241–249. https://doi.org/10.5535/arm.2019.43.3.241