Babytalk: Cerebral Palsy – ABC Local

Every 15 hours a child is born in Australia with cerebral palsy. Considering Australian children are three times more likely to suffer from cerebral palsy than a childhood cancer, this is a disability that needs all our support. Cerebral palsy is an umbrella term that refers to a group of disorders affecting a persons ability to move it's due to damage to the developing brain either during pregnancy or shortly after birth.

In Australia one in every 500 babies is born with cerebral palsy, it's a permanent, lifelong condition caused by injury to the brain, with no known cure but new research into early detection and early intervention techniques working with babies very adaptable and developing brains have shown very hopeful results in Australia.

In this week's Babytalk podcast we are going to meet Professor Iona Novak Head of Research at Cerebral Palsy Alliance and one of their shining stars: Ben Tudhope an Australian Paralympian who competed in para-snowboard cross at the 2014 Winter Paralympics in Sochi. His selection at the age of 14 meant that he became Australia's youngest Winter Paralympian. He was the youngest competitor at the 2014 Winter Paralympic Games from any country. Ben has hemiplegia on the left side of his body and damage connecting nerve tissue vital for movement. He attends Shore Grammar School SCEGS and is 17 years old.

This is a podcast about the research being done at the Cerebral Palsy Alliance and the hard work being done by families living with the effects of cerebral palsy and a determination to never give up.

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Babytalk: Cerebral Palsy - ABC Local