A couple in Mississauga who both suffer with cerebral palsy are happily raising their own child. Initially, authorities responsible for child protection were not going to let the parents keep their own child, citing concerns about the parent’s ability to care for them. The Peel Children’s Aid Society was slated to take the child, but the parents won the battle.
Cerebral Palsy and Parenting
Even though most information about cerebral palsy has to do with raising children with the condition, children do grow up, and adults with cerebral palsy face the same challenges that any other adults do. Because cerebral palsy is so variable in the severity of its symptoms, some adults are far more-affected than others. The Mississauga with parents are both able to provide adequate care for their child, and child protection authorities are no longer pressing a case against them.
The child was born completely healthy, and according to reports, the couple is doing very well raising him. They are providing everything that would be expected of any other parent, and not being diminished in their capacity as parents by any disabilities they may suffer on their own. Not all adults who have cerebral palsy are so fortunate as to be able to raise a child of their own, however.
Range of Abilities
Cerebral palsy is a term used to cover a wide group of conditions. Some people have very few limitations as a result, while other may be severely affected. There are many different variations of cerebral palsy, and they can be more or less severe from individual to individual as well. For example, somebody with hypotonic cerebral palsy may have a complete inability to control their muscles due to low muscle tone, or they may only be affected in specific parts of their body. The father in the happy Mississauga family, for instance, can walk, but sometimes uses an electric wheelchair for convenience’s sake.
Many children with cerebral palsy grow up to be accomplished adults. As the article details, some even grow up to be happy parents themselves. Unfortunately, this is not always the case and some people with cerebral palsy suffer disabilities so severe that they cannot live independently. Because of expensive treatments, and because cerebral palsy is frequently caused by medical malpractice, some affected families choose to file lawsuits in order to recover compensation to take care of their children.