Out of My Mind

by

Sharon Draper

Cerebral Palsy Term Analysis

Cerebral palsy is a disorder that affects the body’s ability to control its movements. The name comes from cerebral, which means something related to the brain, and palsy, a loss of motion. Cerebral palsy is caused when part of an infant’s brain develops abnormally during pregnancy, or when an infant is injured before, during, or right after birth. The disorder cannot be cured, but it does not get worse over a person’s lifetime. Everyone with cerebral palsy has a slightly different set of symptoms, from weakness in their arms, to tremors, to a complete loss of movement. Melody Brooks, the protagonist of Out of My Mind was born with cerebral palsy, and as a result her body is very stiff, which makes it difficult for her control her motions, and makes it impossible for her to speak.

Cerebral Palsy Quotes in Out of My Mind

The Out of My Mind quotes below are all either spoken by Cerebral Palsy or refer to Cerebral Palsy. For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Disability and Ability Theme Icon
).
Chapter 19 Quotes

We all have disabilities. What’s yours?

Related Characters: Melody Brooks (speaker), Molly North, Claire Wilson
Page Number: 168
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Out of My Mind LitChart as a printable PDF.
Out of My Mind PDF

Cerebral Palsy Term Timeline in Out of My Mind

The timeline below shows where the term Cerebral Palsy appears in Out of My Mind. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 2
Disability and Ability Theme Icon
Language, Communication, and Identity Theme Icon
Melody explains that she can’t walk or talk. She has cerebral palsy , which makes her body stiff, affects her balance, and prevents her from holding anything... (full context)