Cerebral Palsy
Cerebral Palsy results from damage in areas of the brain, which control movement messages from the brain to different parts of the body. This causes difficulty in controlling different muscles. A person with Cerebral Palsy may experience weak and stiff muscles or uncontrolled movements. Cerebral Palsy is not contagious, and in many cases the cause is unknown. Commonly occurring before or during birth, Cerebral Palsy can occur in early childhood as a result of accident or illness. Common disabilities associated with Cerebral Palsy include speech impediments, depleted vision, and hearing impairment. No two people with Cerebral Palsy are alike in their physical disability. While one person may use a wheelchair, another may only have slight difficulty in walking.
• If a person with Cerebral Palsy talks slowly, and slurs words, it does not mean that they can’t understand you. There has been damage to the part of the brain that controls the person’s speech and mouth muscles, not their ability to understand. Cerebral Palsy can not be cured, but it does not get progressively worse.

Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
MS is a neurological condition that affects the central nervous system. It acts like telephone switchboard, sending electrical messages along the nerves to various parts of the body. In people who have MS the sheath that protects nerve fibers (known as myelin) breaks down and is replaced by scar tissue. This results in messages being distorted, completely blocked or being sent to the wrong area of the body. Symptoms vary from person to person, but may include:
• Dizziness, double vision, loss of coordination, memory lapses, numbness in extremities, speech difficulties.

Spina Bifida
Spina Bifida occurs within the first six weeks of pregnancy, caused possibly by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Some bones that normally protect and cover the delicate nerves of the spinal cord do not close. Damage to the spinal nerve tissues can never be repaired.
Degree of paralysis depends on the extent of damage to the spinal cord. Usually there is some paralysis and loss of sensation in the legs and lower trunk regions of the body.
This may result in:
• A need to use a mobility aid such as a walker or wheelchair
• Hydrocephalus – fluid retention around the brain
• Vision impairment and learning impairments