CHAPTER 9

Serrano, Michelle Anne D.

Depending on the location and
extent of the brain damage,
muscle tone and movement in
different body parts may be
affected. The following terms are
used to describe the location of
limb involvement: monoplegia,
only one limb is affected;
hemiplegia, two limbs on same
side of the body are involved;
triplegia, three limbs are affected;
quadriplegia, all four limbs are
involved and movement of the
trunk may also be impaired;
paraplegia, only legs are impaired;
diplegia, primarily involves the legs,
with less severe involvement of the
arms; and double hemiplegia,
primarily involves the arms, with
less severe involvement of the legs.
Spina Bifida- Spina bifida is the most
common neural tube defect, which
refers to congenital malformations of
the brain, spinal cord, or vertebrae.
Here, the vertebrae do not enclose the
spinal cord. Thus, a portion of the spinal
cord and nerves controlling muscles
and feeling in the lower part of the body
fails to develop normally.
Muscular Dystrophy - Muscular
dystrophy is a group of inherited
diseases marked by progressive
atrophy or wasting away of the body's
muscles. The most common and severe
type of which is the Duchenne muscular
dystrophy, which affects only boys,
although about one-third of the cases
are due to genetic mutation in families
that have no history of the disease.
Spinal Cord Injuries - These are usually
caused by lesions due to a penetrating
injury, stretching of the vertebral
column, fracture of the vertebrae, or
compression of the spinal cord.

Motorized wheelchairs are best for

those with quadriplegia, while self-
propelled wheelchairs are suggested
for those with paraplegia.
 n of Physical
tio Dis
ica ab
if i

lit
ss
Cla

ies
Physical disabilities that could limit a person's
ability to walk and move could include
physiological, functional, and/or mobility
impairments. These can be categorized
according to whether they are fluctuating or
intermittent, chronic, progressive or stable
visible or invisible. In terms of pain experienced,
some involve extreme pain, so less, while some
do not involve pain at all. The table below
provides examples of classifications of physical
disabilities (Changing Paces, n.d.).
 Table 9.3 Classification of Physical Disabilities
Examples of progressive conditions that get worse over time but can
fluctuate:
Multiple sclerosis - neurological deterioration
Muscular dystrophy - muscular disorder
➤ Chronic arthritis-inflammation of the joints
Examples of non-progressive conditions that remain stable
➤ Cerebral palsy neurological condition
Spina bifida-congenital malformation of the spinal cord
Spinal cord injury-neurological damage resulting from trauma
Examples of disabilities that are non-progressive but can fluctuate
Fibromyalgia - chronic pain condition
Chronic fatigue syndrome - chronic fatigue condition
 f Mobility Im
y o pair
log m
o e

nt
Et
There are many types of mobility
impairment that limit an individual's ability
walk and move around, and the causes of
which vary. Some of these conditions are
best present at birth, while some are due to
illness or physical injury. In terms of severity,
mobility impairment could range from
limitations in stamina to paralysis. Some
mobility impairments are due to spinal cord
injury, depending on which area is damaged.
 Learners with quadriplegia have loss
of function in their arms, legs, and
trunk, and often need the use of
motorized wheelchairs. Learners with
paraplegia, on the other hand, have
loss of function in their lower
extremities and lower trunk. These
learners could use manual wheelchair
and could fully move their arms and
hands (University of Illinois, n.d.).
Mobility impairments could also have
other causes besides spinal cord damage.
Some It could be due to amputation, in
which one or more limbs are removed
because of trauma, malignancies, or
other conditions. It could also be due to
arthritis, in which there is an inflammation
of body's joints, which causes pain,
swelling, and difficulty with mobility.
Back disorder could cause difficulty on the
student to perform actions such as sitting,
standing, walking, bending, or carrying
objects. It could be due to degenerative disk
disease, scoliosis, or herniated disks.
Students with cerebral palsy have damage
to the brain that occurs before or shortly
after birth. Motor dysfunctions include
difficulty walking, lack of muscle
coordination, spasms, as well as difficulty
with speech.
Neuromuscular disorders refer to a
wide range of conditions, including
muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis,
and ataxia that lead to degeneration
and atrophy of muscle or nerve tissues.
Fibromyalgia is a condition of
rheumatism in "soft tissues" or muscles
that cause constant muscular and
ligament pain (University of Illinois, n.d.).
 rs with Diffic
rne ult
ea y
L

Wa
of

lki
ics

ng
rist

and Moving
Characte
It is difficult to come up with a
standard description of
characteristics of learners with
difficulty walking and moving
due to health impairments,
physical disabilities, and
neurological conditions since
their features and health
conditions vary widely.
Although there are learners with
health impairments and physical
disabilities who perform really well
in school, on the average, they still
function well below what is
expected of their grade level.
Moreover, those with chronic health
Impairment or physical disability
often find coping emotionally quite
challenging (Heward, 2017).
The following table shows
other characteristics of
learners with difficulty
walking and moving.
 Table 9.4 Characteristics of
Learners with Difficulty
Walking and Moving and
Suggested
Accommodations/Classroom
Adaptations
 ith Difficult
rs w y W
ne al
r k

in
Le

ga
ng

nd M
Identifyi

oving
The following is a checklist that
teachers can use in order to know a
child's unctional physical skills and
understand the child's physical needs in
the classroom. Doing this would allow
the teachers to identify learners with
difficulty walking and moving as well as
let them provide proper intervention to
these learners.
The formal screening and diagnosis of health
impairments, physical disabilities,
neurological problems is usually done by a
doctor. The following table describes the
methods in which common methods used in
order to screen or diagnose a child for such.
While it is as they teacher that does the
diagnosis, it is important for them to be
familiar with these as they could be working
with a multidisciplinary team in designing
the IEP and in helping the learner.
THANK YOU VERY
MUCH :)