April 04, 2024 - 318 views
A North Wales MS has marked Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month by praising a charity for its “important” work supporting children and their families.
Llŷr Gruffydd, who represents the region in the Senedd, has recently met with representatives from Cerebral Palsy Cymru, to hear about their mission “improve the quality of life of all children in Wales living with the condition”.
Cerebral Palsy Cymru is specialist centre in Wales that provides therapy for children who have, or are suspected of having cerebral palsy, which is the most common disability in children worldwide.
The charity has physiotherapists, occupational therapists and speech and language therapists who are experts in cerebral palsy.
They work closely with children and their families to understand and support their individual needs.
Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month is when organisations, across the globe, come together to raise awareness of the condition.
Cerebral palsy is an umbrella term for a group of conditions affecting the developing infant or child’s brain. It is the most common physical disability in childhood.
It results from damage to the brain that occurs during pregnancy, around the time of birth, or within the first two years after birth.
How cerebral palsy affects a child will vary depending on the extent and location (in the brain) of the damage as well as the age of the child when the damage occurs.
It is a lifelong condition, which affects movement and posture. These features are often accompanied by other difficulties.
Llŷr Gruffydd MS, of Plaid Cymru said: “It was a pleasure to meet the team from Cerebral Palsy Cymru at the Senedd to learn about the important work they do.
“Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month is a reminder of the importance of showing support for children and families living with the condition across Wales.
“Finding out that your child has or might have cerebral palsy can be overwhelming, and often families are not sure where or who to turn to get support.
“Cerebral Palsy Cymru gives them somewhere to turn to because their mission is to improve the quality of life of all children in Wales living with the condition.
“It was set up by families for families, and because of that as an organisation they aim to keep families at the heart of everything they do.
“Because of this they aim to offer family-centred service. The purpose of this is to reduce families' stress and improve outcomes for children.
“I understand that Wales has growing reputation as a world leader in the treatment and management of cerebral palsy, and that Cerebral Palsy Cymru is contributing to that.”
