United Spinal Association has developed a comprehensive air travel guide for wheelchair users or anyone with mobility issues to assist with everything from traveling with your wheelchair to what to do if things break.
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!
In 10% to 15% of cases, there is no clear cause of CP. There is increasing recognition that genetics plays a part, but no standardized approach to genetic testing in patients with CP exists. In this study we asked the question whether both people with and without known risk factors for CP should have genetic testing.
Mobility technology can enhance the lives of young children with disabilities in ways parents often never consider. Learn about how it can help your child beyond getting from point A to point B!
This comprehensive review of the research evidence surrounding supportive stepping for individuals, GMFCS IV and V, provides helpful information for families to make practical decisions about for whom, when, and how long to use a supported stepping device (also known as gait trainers).
This comprehensive review of the research evidence surrounding supportive standing for individuals, GMFCS IV and V, provides helpful information for families to make practical decisions about for whom, when, and how long to use a standing device.
Author summary on stakeholder perspectives of pediatric powered wheelchair standing devices.
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.
Welcome to the second part of my travel series! In the previous post, I wrote about how I found my love for traveling through my trip to Madrid and Paris. Looking back, not only do I realize that these trips took place during very different phases of my adult life, but they also mark the different phases of my CP in recent years. Although CP is the result of a non-progressive brain injury, many folks experience a decline in their physical abilities in their adult years — the inevitable effect of aging, not just for those with disabilities, but for everyone.
In the next couple of blog posts, I’ll write about some of my favorite trips that I took over the years. I’ll travel down memory lane of all the new places I explored in recent years and eagerly wait until my next trip.
My cousin, Reeva, had recently moved to Kyoto, Japan to learn Japanese for a year, and she convinced me to visit her there. I didn’t know anyone else living in Japan and Reeva was going to be there short term, so I couldn’t possibly pass up going! I was admittedly pretty nervous about traveling all the way across the world— a 24-hour long plane trip, including a layover— especially to a country that uses a language that isn’t remotely like anything I was used to. But, again, I wasn’t going to miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
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.
NCART Standing Device Funding Guide contains all the information needed to choose, measure, and write a letter of medical necessity for a standing device.
Supportive Standing Devices, also known as Standers, are frequently recommended equipment for individuals who are primarily wheelchair users. There are lots of different types of standers which can support a range of different physical and activity needs. Learn more about them here!
Standing devices and standing wheelchair devices are frequently prescribed and often denied equipment options for individuals with cerebral palsy. The attached paper provides evidence and guidance to help appeal to insurers for this equipment.
Complex Rehabilitation Technology serves to enhance the lives of individuals who utilize it with the goals of maximizing health, wellbeing, participation and independence.
RESNA (Rehab Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America) is a great place to find highly qualified rehab and assistive technology professionals in your area. They also have provided their research to help providers and the families they serve make decisions about powered mobility for young children.
Jen Lyman provides a parent perspective on powered wheelchair standing devices as it relates to Dr. Lisa Kenyon's research article.
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.
Powered mobility can offer users young and old a level of freedom and independence that may not be achieved through manual wheelchairs or other mobility devices.
Powered mobility has the ability to do so much more than help an individual get from point a to point b. Check out this episode of Cerebral Palsy Health with researcher Lisa Kenyon, PT, DPT, PhD to learn more.
Early powered mobility has been shown to improve cognition in children with multiple, complex disabilities.
Now you can receive a no-cost genetic test for you or your child sent directly to your home.
Cohort-based whole exome and whole genome sequencing and copy number variant (CNV) studies have identified genetic etiologies for a sizable proportion of patients with cerebral palsy (CP). These findings indicate that genetic mutations collectively comprise an important cause of CP.
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.