Research in Developmental Disabilities published research on the benefits of structured bimanual skill practice. Twenty children with unilateral spastic cerebral palsy (CP) participated in the study in order to determine the importance of skill progression during intensive bimanual practice on movement coordination. Methodology of the Study on the Benefits of Structured Bimanual Skill Practice The […]
The Annals of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation published research on activity performance curves for individuals with cerebral palsy to determine if the development of motor performance continues for years in individuals with cerebral palsy. The researchers completed a longitudinal assessment on 421 participants with cerebral palsy from ages 1 to 20 years old and Gross […]
Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology published research on upper limb contractures in children with cerebral palsy. The study investigated the longitudinal development of passive range of motion (ROM) in the upper limbs in 771 children with cerebral palsy (average age 11 years, 8 months), and evaluated which children were more likely to develop contractures related to functional […]
Will my child with cerebral palsy run? Many times as therapists, parents, and teachers may ask will my child with cerebral palsy run? Of course, we first get the question will they learn to walk but soon after running is the new goal. Recent research highlighted key points to help predict the ability to run […]
Action Planning and Execution in Children with Cerebral Palsy Research in Developmental Disabilities published research on action planning and execution in children with cerebral palsy. The goal of the study was to determine the differences in anticipatory visual patterns between 13 children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy (average age 6.8 years) and 15 typically developing children (average […]
Wii Training for Children with Cerebral Palsy Are you familiar with the Nintendo Wii? The Wii is a commercially available interactive computer game consisting of fun activities that provide immediate feedback and progress the user to more advanced levels. The WiiFit also comes with a balance board to challenge postural control and balance while measuring success. Using […]
Examining Gross Motor Progress in Children with Cerebral Palsy Physical and Occupational Therapy in Pediatrics published research examining gross motor progress in children with cerebral palsy. The researchers wanted to determine the factors that influence progress. The prospective study was based on 2048 assessments of 442 children (2-12 years old) diagnosed with cerebral palsy. The […]
Manual Dexterity and Cognitive Functioning in Children Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology published research examining the relationship of manual dexterity and cognitive functioning in children after neonatal arterial ischemic stroke regardless of a diagnosis of cerebral palsy. The participants included 60 children with a past history of neonatal arterial ischemic stroke without epilepsy. Fifteen children had a […]
Educating Caregivers Improves Self Care and Mobility Skills in Children with Cerebral Palsy Do you spend time educating parents on how to carry over therapeutic activities? Most pediatric therapists do and recent research indicates it may be an integral part of improving self-care and mobility skills in children with cerebral palsy. Clinical Rehabilitation published a […]
3 Simple Tips to Improve Playtime for Children with Disabilities Children learn through play and parents help to direct that play throughout development. For children with disabilities, playtime can sometimes be a struggle based on the child’s physical abilities (i.e. hand manipulation), toy choice and environment. The overall goal of playtime is for children to […]