|
Cerebral Palsy - Back to News Menu
Celebration as cerebral palsy pupil sits endurance test
Caroline McClatchey
24 June 2005 - EXAMS are a struggle for most pupils but for Guy Baber from Acland Burghley School it took a gruelling four days to complete two papers.
Fourteen-year-old Guy has severe cerebral palsy, which means he has no control over his muscles.
He is a wheelchair user and cannot talk, relying on a computer to speak for him.
Last month, he took SATs (Standard Assessment Tests) in maths and science, painstakingly typing his answers with one finger.
He said: "SATs are good for showing how good I am at maths and science.
"The exams were difficult because I had to type all day and it was physically exhausting. It took me four days to complete the two exams."
Guy, who lives in Islington with his mum Margaret, started at Acland Burghley in September. Previously, he was a pupil at the Hornsey Trust School for children with cerebral palsy in Muswell Hill.
Guy is not the first severely disabled pupil at Acland Burghley, which is trailblazing the government's push towards integrating disabled children into mainstream schools.
Teaching assistant Amritee Mahabir is one of three support workers allocated to Guy, in addition to a full-time carer.
She said: "The whole school has responded really well to him being here.
"He's come a long way since September and he has joined an arts and crafts lunchtime class, where he is making a bird sculpture. He takes English, maths and science. It would be too much for him to do every single subject.
"He's a great kid, very open and curious. He loves a joke and always has a smile on his face.
"We are trying to get the kids to understand his disability and Guy is helping us organise a disability awareness week."
She added: "He is paving the way for future disabled students and a lot of things in the school have been adapted."
The school in Burghley Road installed a stair climber so Guy can attend lessons on the first floor. They are hoping to find money for a lift, so he can make it to English on the third floor.
Guy said: "The staff and students have all been very friendly.
"I am planning to sit maths and science GCSE exams. I want to go to university but am not sure what subjects I will take. I want to be a naturalist."
Teacher Rebecca Philips, who is funded by educational charity Castle, is another of Guy's support workers.
She said: "The exam board needs to look more carefully at its exam questions for students with severe physical disabilities because currently students like Guy cannot answer all questions (such as drawing a graph) because he cannot do it physically even though he has an understanding of it."
caroline.mcclatchey@hamhigh.co.uk
Viral Infections May Trigger Cerebral Palsy
1/10/2006 - (NBC News) - Certain viral infections just before and just after birth could trigger brain damage, leading to cerebral palsy.
That's according to a new study from Australian researchers. They say a group of viruses can cross the placenta and infect the baby in the womb.
The strongest link was found with herpes group B viruses, which nearly doubled the risk for cerebral palsy. The condition affects movement, and can also affect sight, hearing and learning.
This study involved 443 children with cerebral palsy and 883 healthy control babies. All of the babies were born to Caucasian mothers between 1986 and 1999.
The study was led by researchers at the University of Adelaide, Women's and Children's Hospital in Adelaide, Australia and published in "BMJ" (British Medical Journal).
|
