Life Without Control: Cerebral Palsy
             In the fall of 1999, I met a student who had a disability called cerebral palsy. I had never before seen anything like it in my life. By the time we were ready to graduate, Jameson Hilliard had become my friend. But in many ways I still did not know much about why he could not use his left hand or his left leg very well.
             The history of cerebral palsy started:
             In the 1860's an English surgeon named William Little wrote the first medical descriptions of a puzzling disorder that struck children in the first years of life, causing stiff, spastic muscles in their legs and, to a lesser degree, their arms. These children had difficulty grasping objects, crawling, and walking. They did not get better as they grew up not did they become worse. Their condition, which was called Little's Disease for many years, is now known as spastic dyslexia. It is just one of several disorders that affect control of movement and are grouped together under the term cerebral palsy. (Borowitz, 2003, pg. 2)
             Cerebral palsy (CP), is a term used to express a type of chronic movement and or posture disorders, and is a condition that affects 4,500 infants and young children each year (Borowitz, 2002, p.1). It is not contagious, which means you cannot catch it from anyone who has it. "Cerebral" is another name for "brain," and "Palsy" means a physical disorder or loss of muscle control. It is an affliction of the brain in young children or infants (Borowitz, 2002, p.1). In my paper I wish to explain what causes CP, what cerebral palsy is, and what treatments and cures are available.
             The causes of cerebral palsy include illness of the mother during pregnancy, premature delivery, or lack of oxygen supply to the baby. It may also occur early in life as a result of an accident, viral infection, child abuse, or other minor factors. Chief among the causes is an insufficient amount ...