My student with CP is feeling isolated

amh787

Hi, 

I'm new to here but wanted some advice.

I work in a school and one of my pupils is really struggling with his CP at the moment. He feels very isolated and often comes to me for advice but I've now hit a block and don't know how I can support him. Been a teenager doesn't help as he is trying to understand him self more and hormones and CP combined are proving tricky to navigate.

Does anyone have any words of wisdom or advice they could share. It would be much appreciated by us both.


A

Ami2301

Hi @amh787 and welcome to the community! I will tag our lovely Cerebral Palsy Specialist Information Officer, @Richard_Scope and I'm sure he will be able to offer some advice

EricaMcD

Hi,

I know that being a teenager with CP can be very difficult.  Not only are you dealing with the normal hormonal changes but you also have other changes related to your CP.  

A physio therapist told me in my twenties that your skeletal structure and physiology changes and this can affect how 'your' CP affects you.

If you feel comfortable I would suggest to your student that he might join the online community so he can gain peer to peer support or recommend to the student's parents that they join the online community so they can gain advice and support to support their child.     

Chloe_Alumni

Hi @amh787 and a warm welcome to the community! I have CP myself and I can certainly relate to it being tricky while being a teenager. 

These articles may be useful:

• Being included and going out with friends
• Talking about your impairment or condition to new people
• Keeping friends when life changes

Please do let us know if anything else would help.

Richard_Scope

Hi @amh787
Good to meet you. Ah, teenage years., they are challenging and I think even more now. As young people have to also cope with social media's version of perfection. 
Puberty and teenage can be particularly challenging for somebody living with CP.  Rapid growth can cause weight gain and clumsiness in any teenager but it can make it even more difficult for someone with CP to move around. A person's muscles can become tighter as the bones grow, which can restrict movement even more. Feelings of low mood and isolation are fairly common. 

Has he mentioned anything specifically that is playing on his mind?

WestHam06

Hi @amh787
                        Welcome to the community. Thank you for joining us. I have Cerebral Palsy and found my teenage years very difficult to navigate. Has he tried writing, typing or a way that works for him how he feels down? Sometimes this can help, it is also important that he keeps talking as bottling things up does not help the situation. Are there other students in the school with disabilities, maybe this could be a starting point in him feeling less isolated. I hope this helps, please let me know I can help in any other way. Thank you.   

ZoeA93

Hi @amh787 I don't know if your student is much of a reader, but as a teenager (and young adult) I've found reading books written by other people with CP very helpful.

I would especially recommend Francesca Martinez's 'What the F*** is Normal?' and Zach Anner's 'If at Birth you Don't Succeed' as are both comedians and quite funny.