different physical disability or postural abnormality among student in secondary school

What is a physical disability?

A physical disability is any condition that permanently prevents normal body movement and/or control. There are many different types of physical disabilities. Some of the main ones include:

Muscular dystrophies- When a child has muscular dystrophy, this means that the muscle fibers in the body gradually weaken over time. Children can have different types of muscular dystrophy. The most common type is Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy which occurs only in boys. All types of muscular dystrophy are genetic even though other family members may not have the condition.

Acquired brain and spinal injuries Physical disabilities may result from permanent injuries to the brain, spinal cord or limbs that prevent proper movement in parts of the body.

Spina bifida- Sometimes, a baby's spinal cord (the nerves that run down the spine) do not develop normally during pregnancy. When this happens, the child can have a physical disability called spina bifida. The type and amount of disability caused by spina bifida will depend upon the level of the abnormality of the spinal cord. Children with spina bifida may have:

• partial or full paralysis of the legs
• difficulties with bowel and bladder control.

They may also have:

• hydrocephalus (high pressure on the brain because of fluid not being drained away as normal)
• bone and joint deformities (they may not grow normally)
• curvature (bending) of the spine.

Cerebral palsy- Cerebral palsy is caused by damage to the parts of the brain which control movement during the early stages of development. In most cases, this damage occurs during pregnancy. However, damage can sometimes occur during birth and from brain injuries in early infancy (such as lack of oxygen from near drowning, meningitis, head injury or being shaken).

Children with cerebral palsy may have difficulties with:

• posture (the ability to put the body in a chosen position and keep it there)
• movement of body parts or the whole body
• muscle weakness or tightness
• involuntary muscle movements (spasms)
• balance and coordination
• talking and eating.

Children can have different types of cerebral palsy:

• hemiplegia (involves muscle movements and weakness on one side of the body)
• diplegia (involves muscle movements and weakness in the lower part of the body)
• quadriplegia (involves muscle movements and weakness in both arms and both legs)
• ataxia (involves problems with balance and coordination).

There is much more about Cerebral Palsy in the booklet 'Cerebral Palsy - an information guide for parents' written for the Royal Children's Hospital (Victoria)
http://www.rch.org.au/emplibrary/cdr/CPBooklet.pdf

Multiple disabilities- Some children with physical disabilities will have other disabilities, such as intellectual, visual or hearing impairments. They may also have communication difficulties or other medical conditions such as epilepsy or asthma. When a child has several different types of disability, professionals talk about multiple disabilities rather than listing separate conditions.

Causes of physical disabilities

There are many different causes for physical disabilities. These include:

• inherited or genetic disorders, such as muscular dystrophy
• conditions present at birth (congenital), such as spina bifida
• serious illness affecting the brain, nerves or muscles, such as meningitis
• spinal cord injury
• brain injury.