My student with CP is feeling isolated — Scope | Disability forum
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My student with CP is feeling isolated

amh787
amh787 Community member Posts: 1 Listener
edited October 2019 in Cerebral palsy
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.


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Comments

  • Ami2301
    Ami2301 Community member Posts: 7,942 Disability Gamechanger
    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 :)
    Disability Gamechanger - 2019
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  • EricaMcD
    EricaMcD Community member Posts: 32 Courageous
    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.     
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  • Chloe_Scope
    Chloe_Scope Posts: 10,586 Disability Gamechanger
    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:
    Please do let us know if anything else would help. :)
    Scope

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  • Richard_Scope
    Richard_Scope Posts: 3,648 Scope online community team
    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?

    Scope
    Specialist Information Officer and Cerebral Palsy Programme Lead

    'Concerned about another member's safety or wellbeing? Flag your concerns with us.' 

    Want to tell us about your experience in the community? Talk to our chatbot and let us know. 
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  • WestHam06
    WestHam06 Community member, Scope Volunteer Posts: 1,396 Pioneering
    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.   
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  • ZoeA93
    ZoeA93 Community member Posts: 4 Listener
    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.
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