The brain is the physical aspect of the mind. The brain consists of three parts the cerebrum, the cerebellum and the medulla oblongata. While the cerebrum consists of the frontal lobe of the brain which is mainly concerned with emotions, learning and reasoning and fine control movement. The cerebellum is concerned with functions maintaining body balance and muscle movement.
Any problems in any part of the body are reflected in the form of swelling and aches in that particular region of the body, but the major problem with the brain is because the brain is the supervisor of all the functions in the body and also the instructor any minor problems in the brain is reflected in the entire body.
One of the most commonly known problems is “Cerebral Palsy”. People with cerebral palsy usually have problems coordinating their muscle coordination, it is a condition that doctors usually define as “Abnormal or underdevelopment of the brain before or after the process of childbirth, the usual progress of the child is delayed in this process.” Cerebral palsy affects the cerebral cortex of the brain, the part of the brain that is concerned with the muscular movement of the body.
A cerebral palsy doctor in Punjab specialising in the study explains “Infants diagnosed with the disease have a late approach to developmental milestones like tilting, crawling, walking etc. Cerebral palsy if diagnosed in the early stages can be treated to a great extent but yes cannot be completely cured.”
CAUSES OF CEREBRAL PALSY IN CHILDREN
- ABNORMAL FETAL GROWTH: The underdevelopment of the fetus than the expected pace of development is one of the reasons for the underdevelopment of the brain which in turn leads to the outer layer of the cerebral cortex in a nascent stage giving rise to problems with muscle coordination.
- ACCIDENT OR BRAIN INJURY: Any kind of brain injury that has arisen during the time of the accident while the child is in the mother’s womb or while the child or just after the process of childbirth can lead to the cerebral cortex being affected, cerebral palsy is also one of the major reasons for the increased risk of diabetes.
STIGMA ATTACHED TO CEREBRAL PALSY
One of the best orthopaedic doctors in Punjab wipes a tear as he expresses “ I have seen children with exceptional academic, social and logical skills yet they come and complain that nobody is ready to become their friend in school because they have been addressed as “Mad and mentally handicapped by the school teachers, the society etc. This points out that there is a lack of education, I want to say that children with cerebral palsy are not mad or mentally challenged, it is just that muscles are not spontaneous as that of other children, and their brain is very much normal as that of other children their age.”
A study also reported that patients prone to cerebral palsy were more prone to child sexual abuse because they had been unable to fight the other person because of a lack of muscle coordination. It is a shame for us that we tend to take advantage of the weak rather than protect them. We need to stand with cerebral palsy people rather than ostracise the community.
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