What disease/disorder is this?

Travis J. Smith

Travis J. Smith

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In my work in progress I based a character off of a kid in the special education program at my high school (which I just graduated from). I never knew exactly what the kid had, so I'll explain his condition as best I can to see if anybody here has an idea of what it is.

Symptoms:

- Excessive drooling. Teacher was constantly wiping spit from his chin.
- Rigid body positioning.
- Inability to pay attention. Getting him to look at the camera for a picture, for example, is nearly impossible.
- Always in a wheelchair that the teacher pushed him around in.
- Very thin. Thin enough for the bones to be quite prominent and evident.
- Head almost always bent down, at an angle, staring down at the floor.
- Inability to speak. Never heard a word come from his mouth. Possibly a guttural sound or two, but nothing resembling a word.

Any help on pinpointing what this kid suffered from would be appreciated.
 
vixey

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Cerebral Palsy?
 
vixey

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Found this in Wikipedia. Doesn't mention the drooling, though. I grew up with a boy who had severe CP and his symptoms were similar to the ones you mention. He eventually learned to walk though. :)


"Symptoms
All types of CP are characterised by abnormal muscle tone, posture (i.e. slouching over while sitting), reflexes, or motor development and coordination. There can be joint and bone deformities and contractures (permanently fixed, tight muscles and joints). The classical symptoms are spasticity, spasms, other involuntary movements (e.g. facial gestures), unsteady gait, problems with balance, and/or soft tissue findings consisting largely of decreased muscle mass. Scissor walking (where the knees come in and cross) and toe walking are common among people with CP who are able to walk, but taken on the whole, CP symptomatology is very diverse. The effects of cerebral palsy fall on a continuum of motor dysfunction which may range from virtually unnoticeable to"clumsy" and awkward movements on one end of the spectrum to such severe impairments that coordinated movements are almost impossible on the other end of the spectrum.
Babies born with severe CP often have an irregular posture; their bodies may be either very floppy or very stiff. Birth defects, such as spinal curvature, a small jawbone, or a small head sometimes occur along with CP. Symptoms may appear, change, or become more severe as a child gets older. Some babies born with CP do not show obvious signs right away.
Secondary conditions can include seizures, epilepsy, speech or communication disorders, eating problems, sensory impairments, mental retardation, learning disabilities, and/or behavioral disorders."
 
Shamisen

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I'm a teacher (not at the moment - in a non-teaching job but will be returning) and it does sound very much like a CP child sufferer we had. Drooling was frequent.
 
stormie

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Could even be both. Or--to throw more stuff into the pot--autism and severe neurological impairment (NI years ago was called "brain damaged"). Or CP, autism, and NI. I'm serious. My older son was in special ed and he's now a young adult. His dx is NI, Asperger's Syndrome, and a chromosome abnormality. There was another kid--his best friend--who had CP and mild NI. My sister-in-law is autistic and NI.
 
Travis J. Smith

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Seems the majority of you say it's CP.

Thanks for the quick and plentiful feedback.
 

Keyboard Hound

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Another vote for CP. I knew an adult who had all the symptoms. He drooled excessively, and his motions were jerky.
 

Tsu Dho Nimh

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Cerebral Palsy, and a very severe case of it.

The drooling is because swallowing is difficult because of lack of muscle control.
 
Mike Martyn

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upsidedowngrl said:
It does sound very much like CP.
Click to expand...

Sounds like cp. I had a friend like that when I was a kid. Actually, he wasn't a friend, it was just that my parents made me go over to his place.

We played chess and he was damn good at it too. it just took him forever to move his chess pieces though. His speach was almost unintelligable. It's sad to think of that bright mind locked in that ruined body, sort of like Steven Hawking.
 
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