Welcome to the May edition of
CanChild Today! In this issue, we are excited to share a new product in the
CanChild Shop
:
FOCUS, as well as special news and three recent publications by some of our
CanChild
members
! We also invite you to register for an upcoming CP-NET webinar on Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy.
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
!
|
|
Shop Feature!
|
NEW
clinical tool in the Shop, designed to evaluate the change in a preschool child's ability to communicate and participate in 'real world' environments. The tool links together speech and language treatment.
There are two versions available in the
Shop: the original
FOCUS outcome measure, and
FOCUS-34 which consists of 34 items of equal sensitivity and validity to the original.
It is
available
in a number of different languages. For more information on FOCUS, click
here.
|
|
|
Upcoming Webinar!
|
Meet the experts on Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR) for children with cerebral palsy in Ontario
CP-NET
is hosting a Webinar on June 12, 2018. Presenters include Dr. Golda Milo-Manson, Dr. George Ibrahim, Marilyn Wright, and a parent presenter (TBA). The session will be moderated by
Dr. Jan Willem Gorter
.
Supported by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, The Hospital for Sick Children and Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital in Toronto have launched a new Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR) program for children diagnosed with cerebral palsy. This program is offered to children with CP
who have goals to improve standing, walking or running.
This session will highlight both frequently asked questions about SDR and practical information about all the steps before, during, and after the surgery. All information will be presented in plain language by a panel that includes parent, doctor, therapist, and researcher perspectives.
|
|
|
News & Congratulations!
|
Congratulations to
Michelle Phoenix
for receiving the 2018 Pursuit
Award! This award is presented annually by Holland Bloorview's Research Institute to a PhD student or recent alumni from across the globe for outstanding contributions to the advancement of childhood disability research. Michelle is currently completing a joint CanChild/Bloorview Post Doc and will be joining the School of Rehabilitation Science at McMaster University as a new faculty member in September.
Read more about this prestigious award
here:
|
|
Recent Publications by CanChild Members!
|
Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS), Manual Ability Classification System (MACS) and Communication Function System (CFCS) are three classification systems that have been developed to objectively classify children and adolescents with cerebral palsy. By using these classification systems, there is more effective communication, goal-setting, decisions on services and interventions, and applying research findings to practice. The stability of a classification system refers to the extent to which children remain in the same level of function over time. This study looked at the stability of these classification systems over 1-year and 2-year intervals using a consensus classification process between parents and therapists. The magnitude of the kappa coefficient, a statistical measure of agreement between two individuals, was used as the criterion for stability. The findings of this study support repeated classification of children over time.
Authors:
Palisano RJ
, Avery L,
Gorter JW
,
Galuppi B
,
McCoy SW
.
Dev Med Child Neurol. 2018 Mar 27. doi: 10.1111/dmcn.13903
There is growing need for more evidence on postural management as a way to prevent or reduce hip migration and dislocation in children with cerebral palsy (CP). The authors refer to postural management as the various forms of conservative, nonsurgical approaches to reduce hip migration, including the use of special equipment, orthoses or externally applied devices, and individual therapy sessions. The aim of this approach is to not only increase the child's hip comfort, posture, and function, but is also individualized to fit the child's specific needs. The goal of this review was to study the effects of postural management on hip migration in children with CP by connecting previous recommendations with actual findings using a literature search. The authors determined that no strong conclusions could be drawn due to the varying levels of descriptions and the varying inclusion/exclusion criteria in the studies used. However, there is indication in this review that hip abduction in standing or sitting positions may improve hip migration in children with CP through postural management.
Authors: Gmelig Meyling C,
Ketelaar M
, Kuijper MA, Voorman J, Buizer AI. Pediatr Phys Ther. 2018 Apr; 30(2):82-91. doi: 10.1097/PEP.0000000000000488
Psychometric properties and parental reported utility of the 19-item 'About My Child' (AMC-19) measure
'About My Child' (AMC-19) is a parent-report measure developed to assess the complexity of a child. Complexity can be due to biological, psychological, social, and environmental issues, and can be separate from the disability itself. The AMC measure was created using the framework of the International Classification of Functioning and Disability and Health (ICF), a classification framework used for measuring health and disability. Using the AMC-19, family and caregivers can highlight issues important to them regarding their child's condition and care. This study examined the psychometric properties and parent-utility of the AMC-19 for children with disabilities. The data for the study was gathered from two other CanChild studies: the 'AMC-19 Pilot' and the 'Service Utilization and Outcomes (SUO)'. The researchers of this study support the AMC-19 as an effective and valuable measure to assess complexity for children with disabilities. Authors: Williams U, Rosenbaum P, Gorter JW, McCauley D, Gulko R. BMC Pediatrics. 2018 May 25; 18(174):1-10. doi:
10.1186/s12887-018-1147-2
|
|
Canadian Anti-Spam Legislation
You are a member of the CanChild Today electronic newsletter generated by CanChild at McMaster University. If you believe that you should not be a recipient, you may withdraw your consent to receive these messages at any time, in accordance with Canadian Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) and subject to McMaster University policy, by contacting the sender of this message, or by clicking on the
'SafeUnsubscribe'
link at the bottom of this newsletter.
|
|
|
|
|