Welcome to the March edition of CanChild Today! We are proud to present an issue packed with useful resources, a new video series inspired by family members of the
On Track study team, and an invitation to attend a
CP-NET webinar on mental health and well-being in young people with cerebral palsy.
Additionally, we congratulate our
CanChild
colleagues on recent successes, and highlight recent publications by
CanChild
scientists and international collaborators.
Please feel free to share CanChild resources and this newsletter with family, friends and colleagues. They can subscribe to the CanChild Today Newsletter for free by registering
here
. Our past issues are archived on the CanChild website and can be accessed
here!
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Growing up with CP: Mental health & well-being
Date: April 21, 2017
Time:
11:30am - 12:30pm
| Jessica Geboers | Journalist & CP-NET Community Advisor |
| Georgia Beauchemin | Student & CP-NET Community Advisor |
| Jan Willem Gorter | MyStory Principal investigator & Director of CanChild |
While challenges with body movement is the key feature of cerebral palsy (CP), it is important to recognize that the experience of living with CP goes well beyond these physical, visible, effects. Teens and young adults with CP and other disabilities are more likely than their peers without disabilities to develop mental health conditions, such as depression and anxiety.
CP-NET is excited to present "Growing up with CP: Mental Health & Well-being," a webinar initiated and led by young adults for young adults. Highlighting both lived experience and recent research from the CP-NET MyStory project, this webinar will explore the intersection of mental health and CP, and discuss how we can better support young people in developing positive outcomes in mental health and well-being.
In addition to young people with CP, this webinar will also be informative for parents and health professionals. There will be an opportunity for audience questions.
Spots are limited and webinars fill up quickly - Register now!
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New Resource!
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CP-NET "In Brief": Neuroplastic Sensorimotor Resting State Network Reorganization in Children with Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy Treated With Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy
Constraint induced movement therapy (CIMT) is a training program which aims to improve the hand and arm use of children with hemiplegic CP. Although CIMT has been shown to have a positive effect on function, researchers and physicians need to understand why it works and how this therapy can best benefit children with CP. Children with hemiplegic CP often have an imbalance in brain activity between the left and right sides of the brain, typically with less activity in the affected side as compared to the unaffected side. This "In Brief" describes a study aimed to determine if, by providing CIMT to children with hemiplegia, activity in the sensory and motor areas of the affected side of the brain are activated and whether this activity remains six months after treatment.
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New Videos!
Learn how "check ups" can change the way healthcare professionals, families and children with cerebral palsy engage with each other!
The On Track Study is pleased to present a new series of videos, inspired by the parent members of the On Track study team and funded by PCORI.
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Working together in a circle of care, children, families and health professionals create new opportunities to support both the healthy development of children and each other. Regular check ups are a way to strengthen this circle of care.
View now.
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Children who are invited to actively participate in a circle of care learn how to discover, identify, advocate and celebrate their health. Together with their families and healthcare professionals, they're champions of their own care.
View now.
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News & Congratulations!
Meet Jessica. This is what she wants you to know about CP.
Journalist and
CP-NET stakeholder Jessica Geboers appeared with
Jan Willem Gorter in a video produced by the Ontario Brain Institute for Brain Awareness Week, addressing common misconceptions about CP.
View now.
Congratulations to Bob Palisano!
Congratulations to Bob Palisano for receiving the John H. P. Maley Lecture Award, presented annually to an APTA physical therapist member who has demonstrated clinical expertise and significant contributions to the physical therapy profession.
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Recent Publications by CanChild Members
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Featured Publication!
We are pleased to note that all authors on this publication are CanChild graduate students, research staff or faculty!
Health and development across the life course of individuals with a wide variety of childhood-onset neurodevelopmental conditions is not well understood. Through this "perspectives" paper, the authors explore the
life course health development (LCHD) model by Halfon et al. in the context of individuals with lifelong neurodevelopmental conditions. LCHD is an emerging biopsychosocial model, which conceptualizes health development through person-environment transactions. However, in this model "environment" is not limited to the physical interpretation of the word, but also includes family, social, and cultural elements. Throughout the paper, the authors explore the six core tenets of the LCHD model and the concept of health development trajectories in terms of community living and vocation. In particular, the authors are interested in investigating how such transactions enable individuals to achieve healthy living and personal goals throughout their lives. It is the authors' belief that knowledge regarding the importance and timing of these transactions will be crucial for early and continuing intervention, as well as planning for the future for individuals with neurodevelopmental conditions. Additionally, this knowledge can also be used to develop recommendations or guidelines for healthcare service providers to optimize health living.
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Gamification in Physical Therapy: More Than Using Games.
Interactive and engaging game-based rehabilitation tools, modifiable to match the varying skills and abilities of participants, could potentially provide variation and attractiveness to physical therapy and may facilitate recovery of residual motor and cognitive function. Such characteristics of games are crucial for physical therapy, as they facilitate learning by activating reward-related systems in the brain. As such, the authors propose the fine-tuning of physical rehabilitation by combining knowledge from neuroscience and game design to garner additional benefits for the patient. Three options for the gamification of physical therapy are outlined, including using game principle in therapy to increase engagement and motivation, utilizing commercial games with the addition of therapeutic tools to create a therapeutic setting, and utilizing exergames with adjustable variables to accommodate the variety of abilities and needs present in therapy scenarios. The process of bringing game designers and therapists together to facilitate the gamification of therapy is also outlined in steps, while parallels between designing games and designing therapies are also discussed. It is the authors' belief that by improving knowledge surrounding games and improving the communication between game designers and therapists, gamification of therapy can be pursued in the future to optimize clinical practice.
Authors
: Janssen J, Verschuren O, Renger WJ, Ermers J, Ketelaar M, van Ee R.
Pediatr Phys Ther. 2017 Jan;29(1):95-99.
The purpose of this study was to determine the construct validity of the Korean Participation and Environment Measure for Children and Youth (KPEM-CY) in Korean children with and without disabilities. The study aimed to investigate three areas, which were differences in participation patterns and environmental factors of children with and without disabilities, children of different ages, and of different genders. In total, 184 parents or grandparents, whose children ranged in aged from 5 to 13 years, participated in the study. From the results, KPEM-CY was found to be a valid measure to assess participation and environmental factors in children with and without disabilities in home, school, and community settings. Significant differences in participation and environmental factors were found. Children with disabilities demonstrated reduced participation and faced more environmental barriers compared to those without disabilities. Parents of children with disabilities reported a higher level of desire to alter their child's participation patterns. Lastly, participation patterns and environmental factors, which were influenced by interaction effects between age and disability, were consistent between the home and the community. Limitations of the study can be attributed to the sample and its size. For example, the non-random selection of the sample may not be representative of the Korean population. Additionally, while the original PEM-CY was targeted for children between the ages of 5 and 17, the KPEM-CY was only developed for children aged 5 to 13.
Authors:
Khetani M
, Marley J, Baker M, Albrecht E,
Bedell G
,
Coster W
,
Anaby D
,
Law M
. Disabil Health J. 2014 Apr;7(2):226-35. doi: 10.1016/j.dhjo.2013.11.003. Epub 2013 Nov 8.
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