Essay On Spina Bifida

Spina bifida is a neural tube defect that affects nearly on in one thousand births a year (Rathus, 2011, p.51). This birth defect can cause many problems throughout a child’s development. Spina bifida can affect a person from the way they think to the way they walk. It is important to know how spina bifida affects development in order to better understand how to help those who have been diagnosed with the disorder. Spina bifida can be detrimental to a child’s cognitive abilities such as, mathematics and reading, but it also affects their fine motor and gross motor skills throughout development. Spina bifida is classified as a neural tube defect because either part of the spine is exposed through the skin or even worse, part of the spine is missing (Rathus, 2011, p.51). According to the National …show more content…
There are four known types of spina bifida that range from mild to a very severe form. Occulta is the mildest form of spina bifida that rarely results in disabilities and is present in ten to twenty percent of the population. One or more of the vertebra are not formed properly. (NINDS, 2013, para.4). Closed neural tube defects is the second type and consists of few symptoms that can cause a urinary dysfunction. The spinal cord has ether a malformation of fat, bone, or membranes. (NINDS, 2013, para.5). The third type of spina bifida is meningocele which consists of few symptoms but possibly paralysis. The protective coverings of the spine push out from the spine and may not be covered with skin. (NINDS, 2013, para.6). The fourth and most severe form is myelomeningocele which consists of an opening in the spine