Case Study: Cerebral palsy

Image of Child with dogRachel is 10. She has cerebral palsy. She has a twin brother who is unaffected. She uses a walking frame but still needs the help of an adult. She has bladder and bowel control but because she can’t stand unaided, needs help with toileting. Rachel’s speech is also affected and she has poor fine motor skills making her very slow to complete written work. He r maths work is also extremely weak. She is a very bubbly happy child and is very popular with her peers.

As a result of her problems with fine motor skills she has been given an Alpha Smart word processor which allows her to type up work. Although her typing speed is still slow, it is easier for her to type than to try to form letters with a pencil.

Image of Children playing ball Rachel wants to be part of all the class activities and, using her walking frame moves around the playground quite freely. She always takes part in P.E. using her frame if it is a team game such as rounders. If the class is doing activities which Rachel cannot do, her classroom assistant will work with her to improve her skills, e.g. throwing and catching different sized balls from a seated position.

Strategies