CP describes a spectrum of conditions that affects individuals in many different ways. Your care team may use the term GMFCS which stands for Gross Motor Function Classification Scale and is used to describe what mobility aids your child may need to complete certain tasks.
Technology for people with disabilities is advancing at an unprecedented pace, with artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and mainstream tech giants leading the way in accessibility innovation. Here’s a look at the most exciting developments, highlighting recent announcements from Apple, Microsoft, and the growing impact of AI-based solutions.
Creating opportunities that enable play in order to combat social isolation, foster inclusive communities, and improve the quality of life for people with disabilities.
Cephable is a free software for individuals that adapts to the user, enabling technology control through voice, face, and motion for a more accessible digital experience.
Parálisis Cerebral Respuestas (Cerebral Palsy Answers) is a podcast in Spanish, that seeks to answer all your questions about Cerebral Palsy! Join me every week for in-depth interviews with top specialists in Cerebral Palsy and individuals living with Cerebral Palsy to get the answers!
Founded by Susan Banks and Courtney Craven, Can I Play that? (CIPT) has grown from a hobby site to a destination for gamers and developers alike that provides all forms of accessibility information on video games and the industry.
Assistive technology comes in all shapes and sizes to help adapt your environment to best meet your needs. From tools to help you turn on the lights to high tech games to help you participate with your peers, AT can equalize the playing field!
In cerebral palsy (CP) muscles are often shortened so much that they restrict joint range of motion and the muscles themselves are weak. Thus, ‘shortness’ and ‘weakness’ are two important needs that clinicians must address.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has updated its recommendations for Primary Care Providers to provide a "Medical Home" for children and youth with cerebral palsy. This comprehensive update gives primary care pediatricians the guidance they need to address the many needs that children and youth with CP experience and coordinate care across disciplines. The Cerebral Palsy Foundation has created a checklist to help guide you in raising your child with CP to living the healthiest life possible and ensure that you and your pediatrician are addressing all of your concerns.
Plain Language Summaries are an excellent way to get a clear overview of clinical research. Our friends with Mac Keith Press and the AACPDM Community Council have worked together to choose articles that might be right for you.
A lot of people with cerebral palsy will experience pain over the course of their life. Through better assessment we can provide better interventions, which will lead to a better quality of life.
The Cerebral Palsy Foundation has created a factsheet to help guide you in understanding and treating pain with CP. This fact sheet has been created for individuals with cerebral palsy to provide basic guidance surrounding common causes and potential treatment of pain.
CPF Executive Director Rachel Byrne and Peter Rosenbaum, MD, developmental pediatrician and CPF Scientific Advisory Council member discuss how current thinking about Cerebral Palsy has changed over time with advances in research.
Understanding and managing healthcare and the healthcare system can be daunting for all of us. Attitudes of both providers and patients toward healthcare have experienced significant changes over the past few decades, shifting away from a focus on providers addressing problems as they arise, to more of a partnership and a shared decision-making process to maximize function, well-being, and reduce potential morbidities [1].
We rely on assistive technology for everything from holding utensils better to using a complex communication device. Makers Making Change is helping to create both custom and affordable assistive tech for all abilities and needs.
On this episode with Dr. Amy Bailes, we discuss the Gross Motor Functional Classification System (the GMFCS), the Gross Motor Functional Measure (the GMFM), and the corresponding motor curves. The GMFCS is an important classification system that is relatively easy to understand and it helps create a shared language and framework for understanding a person with CP’s physical function. This can be very helpful for patients, families and providers of all sorts, especially as it relates to both and acceptance and understanding of the diagnosis and family-centered shared decision making.
Shelby Nurse discusses how pain has been part of the reality throughout her life. In this video Shelby talks about what strategies and pain management techniques have worked for her and how this have changed and different times.