Cerebral Palsy, School & Special Education
Not everyone who suffers from cerebral palsy is particularly incapacitated by it, but there are many children who will need some sort of assistance in school.
How well a child with cerebral palsy will do in school generally depends upon the extent of their disability, but remember that all cases are unique. Professionals who work with children with special needs will sometimes need to be called upon to help those who suffer from cerebral palsy.Cerebral palsy is a group of disorders caused by damage to the infants brain (usually during a difficult delivery). The severity of the disorder varies significantly from case to case, so your child’s education plan will likely need to be customized to their abilities.
This condition sometimes causes severe mental impairment, but special educators can oftentimes help children with the condition to do much better in school than parents may have expected. The important thing is to find someone who has the qualifications and the dedication required to help children with severe CP excel in the studies that they can realistically pursue.
Mental Impairment
Some children with very severe forms of cerebral palsy can have serious cognitive problems which may inhibit their ability to attend a traditional school. There are also MANY people with cerebral palsy who end up earning advanced degrees and excel in their careers.
One of the hardest things for parents to deal with is the fact that in very young children, there is really no way to know how this condition will affect your child until they reach certain developmental milestones. Some people with cerebral palsy may have very severe physical disabilities, but their mental acuity may be exceptionally impressive.
Hearing & Speech
Some children with CP who are otherwise quite capable in school will have trouble with hearing and speech. These issues can result in learning problems of their own, so it’s important to make sure that they’re addressed by a professional.
With good speech therapy and assistive devices such as hearing aids, the ability of someone with CP to perform well in school is usually vastly increased.