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Volunteers will help match you with other families in your state or country. Visit our Local Support Group for families of Children who have Hemiplegia.

Infant and Childhood Stroke are two causes of hemiplegia or hemiplegic cerebral palsy. Visit our sister website, Kids Have Strokes, to learn more.

Why we don't like our name, "Hemi-Kids"
by Nancy Atwood, Founder, Hemi-Kids

Why would I name a support group something like "Hemi-Kids"?  The word "hemi" means "half".  Should I call your child "half a kid"?  Certainly not!  

I was looking for a short, descriptive name that would easily be remembered and would work on a computer listserv. At the time, it never occurred to me that I was actually calling our children by a medical label. This is a terrible label for a child.

As Kathie Snow has pointed out, words are powerful. We must embrace "People First Language" and move away from labeling people as "a hemi" or "a hemiplegic" and instead, if a label must be used, refer to them as "a person with hemiplegia".  

So, why do we keep the "Hemi-Kids" list name?  To change the name would mean that we would lose five years of archived messages. Those messages are of great value to our families. So we'll keep the name until the computer system improves and until then, we'll remind you that your child isn't a "hemi", your child is a child.

To learn more about hemiplegia, hemiplegic cerebral palsy, or hemiparesis, visit the Children's Hemiplegia and Stroke Association website.

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The information contained in this web site and on the Hemi-Kids listserv are not a substitute for medical advice or treatment, 
and the site owners recommend consultation with your doctor or health care professional.