<br ><br >FOREWORD TO THE FIRST EDITION<br >A normal newborn baby is helpless and totally dependent. He is unable<br >to raise and hold up his head， to sit up or to maintain any position<br >against the pull of gravity. He cannot by himself control any position<br >such as sitting or kneeling and without support would fall. His head<br >wobbles and he cannot hold it firmly in one positiop by himself.<br >Gradually， as the brain matures， he begins to control positions against<br >gravity. For instance， when the baby is about 5 to 6 weeks old and is<br >placed on his tummy he will raise his head quite well， and from then<br >onwards the control of his head will improve until， at about 6 months，<br >he can raise it high and look around. From the 5th month onwards the<br >baby can lift his head when lying on his back. Watch yourself when<br >trying to stand up from lying on your tummy - the first thing you will<br >do is raise your head and then put your arms down to push yourself up，<br >from this you will see how important head control is in order to stand up.<br >During the day-time all people hold their heads properly in line with the<br >neck and the body， it is held there firmly controlled and can be moved<br >and turned freely， and the eyes can look into the surrounding space or at<br >a book， carefully following a line. Head control is， therefore， one of the<br >most important factors of human development in the physical and the<br >mental field.<br > Another important factor of child development is the ability， starting<br >at about 6 months， to extend and use his extended arms for support. We<br >use our arms for pushing ourselves up to sitting， for getting into a<br >kneeling position in readiness for standing up. Even as adults we use the<br >support of our arms if for some reason we have to get onto our hands<br >and knees， or to get in and out of the bath. We also need the protective<br >extension of our arms， if， when sitting or standing someone pushes us and<br >we lose our balance. This shows that head control and the ability to use<br >extended arms for support are fundamental patterns of normal<br > movements against gravity and for balance， and develop in all of us very<br >early in life， however， an adult person will only need the use of his arms<br >and hands occasionally for support.<br > In normal circumstances the muscles of the body work in such a way<br > that we are able to maintain balance in all activities， freeing the use of<br > our arms for many and varied activities and skills， and only rarely for the<br > maintenance of our postures.<br > What goes wrong with the child with cerebral palsy?<br > Due to damage to the brain in earliest childhood， the development of<br ><br >