As someone with cerebral palsy, I feel it’s important to set the record straight and put the myths to bed once and for all. Despite being one of the most common congenital disorders affecting children, cerebral palsy is still surrounded by misconceptions and false information.

Cerebral Palsy

Some people may have never even heard of cerebral palsy, while others have heard the term but don’t truly understand what it means, or what it really is. This disconnect creates space for myths to thrive.

It's Time to Change the Narrative

But it's time to change that narrative. It’s time to shed light on what cerebral palsy is not. Understanding the facts is key to building a more informed, empathetic world where people with cerebral palsy can live without the burden of stereotypes and misunderstandings.

The most common misconceptions are:

Children with Cerebral Palsy will be Confined to a Wheelchair

There are children with cerebral palsy who are confined to a wheelchair, but there are also numerous children with mild cerebral palsy who can walk and run without assistance. Not everyone with cerebral palsy will be confined to a wheel chair. Cerebral palsy can be mild, moderate or severe.

In the early stages it’s often too soon to tell whether a child with cerebral palsy will be able to walk, but not every child will end up in a wheelchair.

Children with cerebral palsy Cannot Speak

There may be some children with cerebral palsy who may not be able to verbally speak well, but this does not apply to all children. Each cerebral palsy case should be assessed separately.

Cerebral Palsy is Contagious

This is the biggest myth. Cerebral Palsy is not contagious. It’s something that happens in the womb, or at birth. You cannot catch cerebral palsy, by hugging or touching a child with cerebral palsy.

Children with Cerebral Palsy are all Hearing Impaired

Having cerebral palsy can increase a child’s risk of having hearing problems, but it’s not the case that all children with cerebral palsy will have hard of hearing. Some children with the disorder can have good hearing.

The associated risk factors of developing other impairments, will depend on how bad or severe the child’s cerebral palsy is. Other children may have problems with mediation or communication, yet they can hear perfectly. Not all communication difficulties around cerebral palsy are down to hearing impaired issues.

Cerebral Palsy can be Cured

There is no cure for cerebral palsy. While it’s one myth that would be nice if it were true, it isn’t.

Cerebral Palsy means being Mentally Challenged

It’s not true that all children will have learning disabilities and other cognitive challenges to a great degree. It all depends on associating factors of the condition and how their particular brain damage presents. There are many children with cerebral palsy, who score high in aptitudes test, who go on to achieve college degrees.