Children who have cerebral palsy cannot always count on having a “normal” life in many regards. The first thing they always face as a challenge is mobility. Even if they have excellent mobility most of the time, many cerebral palsy sufferers suffer from debilitating muscle spasms from time to time. People with cerebral palsy can live rich, fulfilling lives. Growing up, however, can be difficult for several reasons.
One of the risks that anybody with mobility impairments has is becoming isolated. It’s simply harder to get around if you have mobility impairment. If your child requires a wheelchair to get around but enjoys spending time with their friends, it’s easy to see how the mobility impairment could become a problem at a certain point. When your child’s friends all start getting driver’s licenses, they may not be able to take your child out with them because of not having room to stash the wheelchair in transit. This is why mobility vans are oftentimes among the first purchases when people have a child with cerebral palsy.
In some cases, people with cerebral palsy need some extra assistance in school. Sometimes, people with cerebral palsy attend normal classes like everyone else. There are quite a few people with cerebral palsy who do very well at school but who have difficulty with one subject or another. You may have to accommodate this by paying for tutors or extra classes. This can be somewhat isolating, as well.
The most severe cases of cerebral palsy are very debilitating. It may be almost impossible for your child to do anything on their own. For people with cerebral palsy, the most difficult tasks are oftentimes those that require the most developed muscle coordination. For example, opening a door can be exceptionally difficult if you can’t get your arms to stop shaking every time you try to grasp the knob. This is an example of what quite a few cerebral palsy sufferers have to deal with in terms of negotiating everyday life.