OTHER PHYSICAL AND MENTAL DISABILITIES - Francesca 5°E

This unit (10) talks about four young people affected by different disorders: cerebral palsy, epilepsy, mental retardation and Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Christine is affected by cerebral palsy: it is a group of chronic disorders which affect the nerves that regulate and control the body's muscles. These disorders appear in the first few years of life.

Norman is affected by epilepsy. It is a brain disorder in which groups of nerve cells in the brain sometimes send abnormal signals causing strange sensations, behaviour and loss of consciousness. There are two main types of seizures: generalised and partial.

Vanessa is affected by mental retardation. This disorder is characterised by significantly subaverage intellectual functioning associated with limitations in adaptive behaviour. The causes can be prenatal, perinatal, and postnatal.

Finally, Edward is affected by Duchenne muscular dystrophy which is an inherited disorder characterised by rapidly progressive muscle weakness. It starts from the legs and then it affects other parts of the body. The disorder usually appears in males 1 to 6 years old.

I think that it is very hard to live with these types of disorders and I hope that one day someone will find a cure for everyone!