Final answer:
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurological disease causing a decline in voluntary muscle control and resulting in paralysis, with advanced ALS patients often demonstrating an awkward gait and requires brain-computer interfaces for communication.
Step-by-step explanation:
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Gait
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, leads to the degeneration of motor neurons responsible for voluntary muscle movement, causing patients to experience difficulty in walking, speaking, and performing other voluntary movements. As ALS progresses, the areas in the spine responsible for muscle movement harden in a process referred to as sclerosis, leading to a decline in voluntary muscle control and eventually resulting in paralysis. Those with advanced ALS may demonstrate an awkward gait, characterized by limited mobility and coordination.
Patients in the latter stages of ALS often require technological assistance, such as brain-computer interfaces, for communication due to the severe impact on voluntary muscle movement. These include devices that detect subtle movements, like cheek twitches, to type out sentences that a computer can then vocalize, thus allowing for communication despite paralysis.
Ultimately, ALS is marked by an unrelenting progression that results in near-complete paralysis, with patients remaining cognitively aware throughout the disease course. This makes communication and respiratory support crucial in the advanced stages of the disease. It is worth noting that, contrary to the example given in the question, Stephen Hawking suffered from a disease related to but not the same as ALS, known as motor neuron disease (MND).