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  1. INTRODUCTION TO PHYSICAL DISABILITY
  2. DEFINING PHYSICAL DISABILITY
  3. PHYSICAL DISABILITY CLASSIFICATION
  4. CEREBRAL PALSY (CP)
  5. CAUSES OF PHYSICAL DISABILITY
  6. INTERVENTIONS
  7. INCLUSION OF A CHILD WITH PHYSICAL DISABILITY
  8. AUTHORS, SOURCES AND LITERATURE

2. DEFINIG PHYSICAL DISABILITY

Physical disability is a long-term condition that does not affect only the motor functions of an individual, but the whole personality. It is because motor functions, cognition and emotions are highly interconnected systems. The restrictions in movement may influence self-determination and social interaction. The main distinction between disease and physical impairment is that impairment is a long term or permanent condition. In the most up-to-date terminology of Disability studies, we also distinguish between impairment (condition of the body, for example palsy) and disability (limited access and participation in society). Not every physical otherness becomes automatically a disability, as it may be moderated by assistive technology or changes in the environment.

Many researches show that there is a connection between the movement and cognition. Based on the research of children with cerebral palsy K. Neumann (1977) found that restricted movement experience leads to the changes in the cognition. J. Piaget (1969) also presented the close relation between movement and cognition, as the cognitive structures and functions of a child are mastered by interacting with the environment. We can say that child learns while moving and by movement. If the child does not gain control of his head to reach the object by sight, all other elementary movements will be disrupted too. The child will not be able to perform activities that require the coordination of eye – hand movements (Flehming, 1996). A child with a physical disability may thus be limited in exploring the environment by her/him self and therefore needs support to experience the surroundings to reach optimal development.