March is National Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month

Cerebral palsy is caused by brain damage or abnormal development that often occurs before birth, but the damage can also occur during birth. Cerebral Palsy, or CP, the most common motor disability in children, affects movement, posture, eating, coordination and balance, according to mayoclinic.org.

CP is usually diagnosed when children fail to meet early childhood milestones that include rolling over, crawling, standing up or walking.

March is National Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month when people who are living with CP and their families, friends and advocates urge for societal changes in healthcare, employment and education, according to cerebralpalsyguide.com.

Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month was started in 2006 by the advocacy group Reaching for the Stars which seeks to bring more attention to the disability and to raise research funding.

Celebrating the month can be as easy as wearing green, the adopted color of the cause, posting about the disability on social media, donating to the Cerebral Palsy Foundation or other advocacy groups.

Roughly one in 345 children are diagnosed annually with CP. More than one million people in the United States currently live with Cerebral Palsy, according to cdc.gov.