Hi, my name is glh2913!

glh2913

Hi everyone, 
not sure how I’ve never found this place before but I wanted to join as I really need some help with a few things regarding my 18yr old sons CP. hoping you guys can help me out.

L_Volunteer

Hi @glh2913. Welcome to Scope’s forum. It is great to see you have joined us. How are you today?

I can hear you are needing some help with a few things regarding your 18-year-old son's CP. We will happily help if we can.

Would you like to share more with us – for example, what the “few things” look like for you at the moment?

Take care for now and we will look forward to hopefully hearing more from you again soon 

Alex_Alumni

Hello @glh2913 I have CP myself, it mostly affects the right side of my body. What's your question?

You're quite welcome to visit the Cerebral Palsy category here on the forum, if you'd like to have a browse.

glh2913

Thank you so much for your warm welcome. I have just posted a discussion in children parents and families section. I think  it’s taken me so long to write it and was a little overwhelming actually putting everything into words.

Alex_Alumni

Well done for posting @glh2913 I'm really glad you've been able to reach out here on the community, and I hope we can help support you

Thinking about your discussion, it can be overwhelming looking back over the big picture, but as our members have said, you've done the best you were able to at the time, and now you're looking to take more positive steps forward, with better knowledge.

If you feel we can help with anything, no matter how big or small, please do ask.

glh2913

@Alex_Scope

thank you for your replies.

my Sons CP effects all 4 quadrants but more so on his right side too. He is also left handed which along with everything else hasn’t  help. We’re all RH at home and never realised just how much harder writing is when your left handed, it’s not until someone shows you, that you realise. so that was something else to add to the challenge.

Alex_Alumni

@glh2913 I'm left handed as well, it can be frustrating sometimes, but because it feels so normal you tend to adapt, some things I can do with both hands, but generally because of the CP, my right hand is a bit weaker.

A lot of my friends at university happened to be left handed, and one recommended searching online for specialist providers of left handed things, such as 'Left n' Write', or 'Anything Left Handed'. There's all sorts there!

When I left primary school, the headteacher was kind enough to gift me left handed scissors, which were invaluable through secondary school. These days though I don't need them as much. 

glh2913

@Alex_Scope

It’s true you do adapt over the yrs. Just like he does with the buttons on his shirts and that I don’t even notice it anymore. It’s just normal. We did get left handed scissors, not that he used them much. He was very clever during school and always managed avoiding tasks he knew he couldn’t  do or would really struggle with. He is quite crafty and convincing at times. 

Alex_Alumni

 He was very clever during school and always managed avoiding tasks he knew he couldn’t  do or would really struggle with. He is quite crafty and convincing at times. 

I can certainly recognise those sorts of behaviors, some people within the disabled community call it "masking", where to a certain extent we hide or avoid our disabilities to fit in with the majority. Sometimes we aren't so aware that we're doing it.

Have you or your son ever heard of the social model of disability? I didn't know about it until quite recently, and it changed the way I think about myself as someone with cerebral palsy. 

It might also interest you to read Scope's campaign about how to help the people around you feel less awkward about disability, called End the Awkward. I hope it's helpful  

glh2913

@Alex_Scope

I’ll have a look now thank you.