this is off the hemihelp site
What emotional and behavioural problems do children with hemiplegia face?
Many parents of children with hemiplegia have told us that their child?s everyday life is less affected by the condition itself than by associated ?invisible?? problems affecting education, emotions, behaviour or relationships. The trouble with invisible difficulties is that people outside the family often don?t take them seriously enough. A child who is unable to make friends or who has severe behavioural problems may be at least as badly off as a child in a wheelchair - but we all know that it is the child in the wheelchair who captures the public imagination, and attracts the most clinical care and research.
Are there other problems associated with hemiplegia ?
Yes, there may be. Because hemiplegia is caused by damage to the brain, it is not just motor development that may be affected. And despite the developing brain?s effort to relocate functions to undamaged areas, approximately half the children do have additional diagnoses. Some of these are medical in nature, such as epilepsy, visual impairment or speech difficulties. Many children have less obvious additional challenges, such as perceptual problems, specific learning difficulties or emotional and behavioural problems.
As the child grows these difficulties may become more frustrating and disabling than the more obvious physical ones, but with specialist treatment their effects on the child?s life can be minimised.
Education
Most children and young people with hemiplegia attend mainstream schools, with or without some extra support. It is essential that teachers be given as much information as possible about your child and how best to help him or her. HemiHelp has information materials for teachers in pre-school, primary and secondary education. These are of use not only to your child?s teachers, but also to you as parents/carers, to help you support your child through his or her school years.
hope this helps