TRANSCRIPT
"We will never find someone with the same story there is always something different. Cerebral palsy affects all different people in all different ways. My CP will look, feel different to my CP."
They're some of the voices in a new video campaign launched by the Cerebral Palsy Alliance.
The videos are seeking to demystify the condition and feature people with lived experience.
Cerebral palsy or CP is a physical disability that affects movement and posture - it's also the most common disability diagnosed in children in Australia.
Around 34,000 people in Australia are affected by C-P and worldwide around 17 million people have the condition.
Georgina Henry is a researcher at Cerebral Palsy Alliance’s Research Institute and the co host of the video series.
She says CP affects people in very different ways.
"Some people with cerebral palsy might also experience vision or hearing impairments or epilepsy and intellectual disability. And we all really look quite different with how our cerebral palsy impacts us. So I have quite mild cerebral palsy. I experience chronic pain and fatigue, but someone else's cerebral palsy might require the use of a wheelchair for mobility. They might communicate non-verbally and needs some support to do activities."
In most cases the cause of CP is either injury during pregnancy or shortly after birth resulting in permanent life-long effects.
Nicole is a parent and advocate featured in the video who has a young son with CP.
"When Jibby was first diagnosed with CP. It was very overwhelming. There is so much support out there. You just need to embrace it. You just need to take whatever opportunities are given to you and go with it. Never underestimate your child. My son surprises me every single day with what he's doing. He has taught me more than I have ever taught him."
While it still remains the most common disability in children, rates have reduced by 40 per cent in the last 20 years.
Georgina Henry explains some of the factors behind the drop.
"We believe this is due to a number of different factors, particularly improved care around pregnancy. For example, premature babies may be able to receive things like magnesium sulfate to assist with neuroprotection during labor. We also see improved neonatal care for babies that have brain injury in a born term. And then there's also been an increase uptake in public health and improved research in this area around prevention of infections, which can affect brain development."
Ms Henry says early diagnosis and intervention are critical.
"We have a really strong focus on early diagnosis and early intervention and to help give that therapeutic support to babies when they're really able to harness the neuroplasticity of the brain. So when the brain is in the really early stages of development and is still adaptable to learning new skills, we really want to enhance the development of early gross motor and fine motor and cognitive skill development. So early diagnosis and intervention is really important."
Ms Henry says for adults with CP, one of the biggest challenges is confronting societal attitudes and assumptions based on misunderstanding of what CP is.
"With the right support and the right attitude, people with cerebral palsy have wonderful potential and really deserve to achieve the very best of their abilities so that they can contribute to society in a meaningful way."
