Trust Tommy

Got it done 10 minutes ago. Comments and constructive criticism extremely welcome :)

__________________

WHAT ARE THE ISSUES FACED BY CHILDREN WITH CEREBRAL PALSY IN
MAINSTREAM EDUCATION?

My name is Tommy Collison. I am 14 years of age and in first year of
Castletroy College. I was diagnosed with Moderate Spastic Diplegia at
an early age.

Cerebral Palsy (pronounced sir-ee-bral pall-zee) is a disorder of
movement and posture due to a defect of the immature brain. (Bax 1964)
"Cerebral" refers to the Cerebrum, which is the area of the brain that
is affected. Palsy refers to disorder of movement.
Spastic CP is the most prevalent type of CP at 85% (Stanley et. al.
2000). Spastic CP is characterized by stiff or tight muscles
associated with increased reflexes (Burns et al. 1996).

CP is the most common cause of physical disability affecting children
in developing countries (Stanley et al. 2000). In the Republic of
Ireland with a population of 4.235 million (Central Statistics Office
2006) and at an instance of 2.0 to 2.5 per 1000 live births (Stanley
et al. 2000), the number of people with CP is approximately 9,500.
With approximately 60,000 children per school year in Ireland (REF
GOES HERE), this equates to 120 children with CP in every school year.

CP is classified according to the area of the body that is affected:
Hemiplegia: Only one side of the body is affected
Diplegia: The legs are more affected than the arms
Quadriplegia: CP affects the whole body (Burns et al. 1996).

CP can also be classified according to the severity of the disability
in terms of function:
Mild, Moderate and Severe (Burns et al. 1996). The different
severities mean that one could be wheelchair bound, or one could
merely walk with a limp, and any stage in between.

A number of studies have examined the effects of CP in education
(Nadeau and Tessier, 2006; Nadeau and Tessier, 2008). My study is
unique in that it is the first study of children with CP in education
by a person with CP of school going age.

The methodology to be used is as follows:
1) I have read previous publications concerning children with CP in
mainstream education.
2) I shall conduct a survey of children with CP to ascertain "What are
the issues faced by children with CP in mainstream education?"
3) Permission has already been sought and granted from St Gabriel's
Centre (which provides services for children and young adults with CP)
for me to send a questionnaire to school-going children with CP in the
Limerick area.
4) The help of professional staff at St. Gabriel's Centre and teaching
staff at Castletroy College will be sought in the formulation of the
questionnaire.
5) I will analyze and summarize the results of the completed
questionnaires and make recommendations based on the results.