Dr. Iona Novak answered several questions about the State of the Evidence Traffic Lights 2019 systematic review on interventions for preventing and treating cerebral palsy in children. She talked about best practices, different types of equipment, future research directions, and more!

The Cerebral Palsy Integrated Neuroscience Discovery Network (CP-NET) is a translationally-oriented neuroscience research network focused on cutting‐edge neurorehabilitation approaches for CP. The program aims to collaborate with stakeholders for mobilizing knowledge and conducting research activities centred on enhancing the function, activity and participation of individuals with CP and their families.

Join the CP-NET Science and Family Day on October 23rd to learn more about the initiatives and research conducted through this program.

CanChild Co-Founder Dr. Peter Rosenbaum has been awarded an Honorary Fellowship in the Faculty of Paediatrics of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (RCPI). The Fellowship is the highest honour given by the College to recognize world leaders in medical science, arts, and philanthropy or those who made an exceptional contribution to society. Dr. Rosenbaum was also invited to deliver the 25th Annual Ralph Counahan Memorial Lecture at the RCPI's Faculty of Paediatrics 2021 Autumn Conference.

Children and adolescents with chronic health conditions (CHC) are growing up, and they will need to learn how to be responsible for their healthcare. They can turn to their family members, including siblings, for support. This review summarized documents and resources created by children’s hospitals and treatment centres in Canada for siblings of individuals with a CHC. This review is the first co-authored publication with the Sibling Youth Advisory Council. Many resources provided general information, such as support programs and workshops. There were few resources about healthcare management and resources that could be developed to have family conversations about this topic. Authors: Nguyen L, Davis H, Bellefeuille S, Havens J, Jack SM, Di Rezze B, Ketelaar M and Gorter JW. Front. Rehabilit. Sci. 2021 Oct 2:724589. doi: 10.3389/fresc.2021.724589

Five parents and nine service providers participated in narrative interviews to share their perspectives on the content and development of expectations in pediatric rehabilitation therapy over time. The thematic analysis of participants' interviews produced four themes related to how expectations affect the therapy process: Force (therapy momentum), Appreciation (understanding of the client), Illumination (envisioning new therapy activities), and Relationship (therapeutic rapport). The researchers proposed the "F.A.I.R." approach and tool comprising terminology that can help facilitate conversations and reframe expectations toward focusing on the plurality of optimal therapy processes. Service providers are encouraged to use this tool to better understand parents' expectations through collaborative questioning, observation, and reflection. Authors: Smart E, Nalder E, Trentham B, King G. Disabil Rehabil. 2021 Oct 6:1-11. doi: 10.1080/09638288.2021.1984591.

This review showed that the amount of research on children and adolescents with CP in Brazil is constantly increasing. The most studied interventions presented low-quality evidence, which means that the evidence reported is not trustworthy for clinical decision-making. The focus of the studies was on reducing impairments and activity limitations, with minimal attention paid to participation and environmental factors. Brazilian researchers must expand their focus on therapeutics to include contextual and participation factors, thus promoting a more comprehensive view of individuals with CP. Well-designed Brazilian intervention studies might facilitate evidence-based practice and reduce the gap between the research and clinical fields. Authors: Furtado MAS, Ayupe KMA, Christovão IS, Sousa Junior RR, Rosenbaum P, Camargos ACR, Leite HR. Dev Med Child Neurol. 2021 Oct 2. doi: 10.1111/dmcn.15067