Celebrating World Cerebral Palsy Day

Affecting muscle control, movement, and motor skills, cerebral palsy is a neurological disorder primarily developed in the initial stages of development, at any point between time in the womb or during the first few years of life.

Cerebral palsy is caused by damage to the brain most commonly from medical errors, birthing problems, infection, or head trauma. Different muscle groups are impaired depending on the area of the brain affected; as a result, CP is experienced in a multitude of ways. Symptoms range from mild defects to individuals experiencing significant problems.

 In layman's terms, individuals with cerebral palsy are able-minded individuals that have the daily challenge of getting their body to follow what they want it to do.

Thanks to the support from others, specialist tools and technology, many children and young adults with cerebral palsy are able to live a normal, happy life. For example, the 1 in 4 children with CP that cannot talk can instead communicate through speech generating devices.

World Cerebral Palsy Day, celebrated Friday 6th October, is a movement dedicated to the 17 million people worldwide living with cerebral palsy and their support network. Not only was the day founded to celebrate the pride and achievements for those with CP but also to raise awareness, help create solutions, and is aimed to be a catalyst to promote change that improves the lives of those affected.

 To find out more about World Cerebral Palsy Day, to learn more about their campaign, or for helpful downloadable tools, see the website  https://worldcpday.org/