This is a guest post by Margot.
I do not have autism. I’m a disability advocate and filmmaker with Cerebral Palsy.
March is Cerebral Palsy Awareness month in the United States. I have Cerebral Palsy. Cerebral Palsy is a physical disability. I was born with mild Spastic Diplegia Cerebral Palsy. Cerebral Palsy (often shortened to "CP") is a brain injury that happens before, during, or shortly after birth. It can be caused by lack of oxygen to the brain or conditions such as a fetal brain hemorrhage, which is also called a brain bleed, which is similar to a stroke, but in most cases the exact reason for the brain damage in babies is unknown. I had not realized the similarities between Cerebral Palsy and Stroke until I began researching for my film called “A Stroke Of Endurance”. In the cases where Cerebral Palsy is caused by a Stroke, it is actually easier for a baby to have a stroke than it is for an adult to have a stroke, according to the website “Cerebral Palsy Foundation”. Cerebral Palsy is NOT genetic. However sometimes genetic problems can lead to brain injuries in babies indirectly. Cerebral Palsy is NOT a disease. You can NOT get Cerebral Palsy from another person. I talked about the misconception of Cerebral Palsy being a disease in my first film "Drama Sighted" which is available for free on youtube and is about a teenage boy with Cerebral Palsy. Cerebral Palsy is a condition like how Autism is a condition. Currently, Cerebral Palsy is permanent and can NOT be cured.
Cerebral Palsy affects the motor areas of the brain in a vast amount of ways depending on where the damage in the brain occurs. It usually causes the muscles to be too tight (tight muscles are called spastic) or too loose(called hypotonia) because the brain signals are constantly being misfired throughout the person's entire life. The misfiring can lead to issues with balancing, coordination, speech, proprioception, body alignment, and even a life long retaining of certain infant reflexes such as the Moro Reflex. The Moro Reflex is the startle reflex in babies and this particular reflex usually disappears when the baby is under 6 months of age but people with CP can have it as children and adults. It is essentially a built in pre-programmed fear of falling. CP can affect one side of the body. Cerebral Palsy on one side of the body is called hemiplegia Cerebral Palsy. Or Cerebral Palsy can effect both sides of the body at the same time. Every case of Cerebral Palsy is unique and can range from being so mild that it is almost unnoticeable to being so severe that the person uses a wheelchair full time. Some people with Cerebral Palsy can walk with crutches, walk with a cane, or a walker, or walk independently with a limp. The reason each case of Cerebral Palsy is unique is because the brain injury happens in different parts of the brain in each person who has it. Cerebral Palsy does NOT mean being paralyzed. People with Cerebral Palsy can indeed move their limbs, but the movement is more difficult, and some movements are not physically possible for a person with CP to do safely. People with Cerebral Palsy often need proper disability accommodations in school and at their jobs to move safely.
Since both Cerebral Palsy and Autism effect the brain some people with Cerebral Palsy are more sensitive to sound like how some people with Autism are more sensitive to sounds, than people without these conditions.
I have had surgery and physical therapy as a treatment for Cerebral Palsy. I had two surgeries for the treatment where doctors lengthened tendons near my knees and ankles to relieve spasticity and allow me to stand up and walk. I could not walk at all until after my first surgery at three years old. I have had many types of physical therapy throughout my life such as Aqua therapy, which is swimming as therapy, and horse back riding as physical therapy. I also dance and do martial arts to stay active.
Having Cerebral Palsy is not tragic. Having Cerebral Palsy often feels natural to people who have it.
Today, and everyday Crip Video Productions celebrates the achievements of those with CP all over the world by depicting characters with Cerebral Palsy living vibrantly and thriving, and involving people with Cerebral Palsy in all of our film productions which can be seen at cripvideoproductions.com .
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