Using this Book
This book has been designed to help children with limited mobility to see the positive aspects that using a wheelchair can bring to their lives. Children with limited mobility can often feel somewhat isolated from their peers as a result of times in the past when they were excluded from certain activities. Through the experience of the main character, this book encourages children to look at their wheelchair as playing a positive rather than a negative role in their life. By reading this story with a young child, it also gives parents an opportunity to discuss any feelings of anxiety that their child may be feeling.
Information
There are a broad variety of reasons why young children become wheelchair users. From physical conditions like spina bifida, cerebral palsy and muscular dystrophy to spinal injuries caused by an accident or fall. Spina Bifida: There are many different forms of Spina Bifida but all result from incomplete development of the spine. The severity of this condition depends on the location of the split in the spinal cord. This is why some children born with spina bifida can walk and others cannot. About eighty percent of children who are born with spina bifida also suffer from hydrocephalus, which is commonly known as water on the brain, which can cause some development, speech and perception difficulties. Cerebral Palsy: Cerebral palsy is not just one specific condition. It is used to refer to a large group of problems that can affect muscles, resulting in problems with body movement. Cerebral palsy can lead to weakness and lack of co-ordination of the muscles. In some people, the condition results in the person simply being clumsy. Others are more severely affected and have severe limited mobility. Muscular Dystrophy: Muscular dystrophy is the collective name for a range of neuromuscular conditions, which are characterized by the progressive weakening of the muscles. It can affect both adults and children. Some forms arise at birth or in childhood, others may not manifest themselves until later in life.