Teachers College - Columbia University: Center for Cerebral Palsy Research

Annoucements

Now recruiting participants for a variety of projects to learn about the mechanisms underlying impaired hand function in cerebral palsy, brain plasticity and rehabilitation. PARTICIPATION IS FREE! We are taking names/info of potential participants so contact us if you would like to be considered for any of these projects.

Jennifer Schneider is moving on to bigger and better things. Jennifer has begun an internship in psychology in Denver as part of her PhD program. She has been working with the project as an interventionist and research assistant from 2002-2009. She will continue to work behind the scenes but her physical presence and interaction with families will be greatly missed. We wish her the best of luck in her future endeavors.

Click here for a link to an article about our summer 2008 CIMT/HABITcamp

In addition to presenting at the upcoming American Academy of Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine in Phoenix, we will present our HABIT and CIT work at conferences in Germany, Belgium, Italy and The Netherlands over the next several months.Stay tuned for exciting announcements about the findings of our current work.

The American Academy of Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine awarded the 2007 Gayle G. Arnold Award for best scientific paper to Andrew Gordon and Jeanne Charles for a paper entitled " Efficacy of a Hand-Arm Bimanual Intensive Therapy (HABIT) in Children with Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy: A Randomized Control Trial"

The Center for Cerebral Palsy Research was founded in 1996 and is committed to understanding the mechanisms underlying the symptoms of cerebral palsy and developing evidence-based treatment approaches targeting these symptoms. The Center is a non-profit organization located at Teachers College, Columbia University, a leading institution of Education, Health and Psychology. Our Center is committed to improving the lives of children with cerebral palsy through research. These include both speech and motor disorders associated with CP.

Impaired hand function is one of the most disabling symptoms of hemiplegic cerebral palsy, affecting self-care activities such as feeding, dressing, and grooming. We have been studying the mechanisms underlying the impaired hand function in cerebral palsy since 1991. Based on this knowledge, we developed and began studying the efficacy of intensive rehabilitation techniques in 1998 and more than 100 children have participated. Presently we are testing the efficacy of two cutting-edge interventions, Constraint-Induced Therapy (CIT) and Hand-Arm Bimanual Intensive Therapy (HABIT), on involved hand and arm function in children with hemiplegia. We are hopeful that these interventions will improve hand function in children with hemiplegia. Participation is free and will help aid our understanding of the optimal ingredients and dosage of successful rehabilitation with the hope that this information will improve rehabilitation services for all children with cerebral palsy.

We are also beginning to conduct studies on speech intelligibility, and expect to start clinical trials of speech treatments in the near future.

Some projects take place throughout the year, including INDIVIDUAL CIT and HABIT using modified schedules (several hours per week). CIT and HABIT CAMPS are generally held during school recess. We expect our next camps to be held in summer 2010. We will also be beginning an EARLY TRACKING AND INTERVENTION project where we follow development of hand function from diagnosis until ~18 months of age, and subsequently provide early treatment. We are taking names/info of potential participants so contact us if you would like to be considered for any of these projects.

We have been funded by the National Institutes of Health, United Cerebral Palsy Research & Education Foundation, the Thrasher Research Foundation and the generous donations of people who share our hope.