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How does Cerebral Palsy Affect Learning and Daily Activities?

The term cerebral palsy refers only to motor difficulties, but includes both large movements such as walking and running (gross motor skills), and movements of the hand and arm, such as eating and printing (fine motor skills). As a result, some children have difficulties with day-to-day activities.

The muscles used for speech and language can also be affected. Speech problems range from slowed speech, to difficulty being understood, to not being able to speak at all. When this difficulty is severe, a child may be able to use an assistive device such as a Picture Exchange Card System (PECS) or a computer to help them communicate.

Although cerebral palsy refers only to motor development, there is a much higher incidence of developmental and learning problems in children with cerebral palsy. Sometimes, the damage to the brain that caused the cerebral palsy, could have possibly caused damaged areas of the brain used for thinking and learning.

Some children are diagnosed with intellectual or learning disabilities. Learning can also be affected because the child has difficulty interacting with the environment due to their movement problems. They may not be able to experience the thrill of exploring the “pots and pans” cupboard, because they cannot get to it, and thus, lose out on the experience of experimenting with different sounds, places and objects. This is why it is important to provide stimulating learning experiences and bring the environment to the child when they don’t have the gross motor skills to explore it themselves.

However, most of the learning issues relate to the underlying changes in the brain. The team can help you to understand your child’s strengths and weaknesses, and help plan appropriate goals for them.

Back to Cerebral Palsy Guidebook

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