UCLA Forum Will Let Cerebral Palsy Patients and Medical Experts Exchange Ideas

UCLA has scheduled an event on Saturday that will let cerebral palsy patients, family members, and medical experts exchange ideas on topics ranging from managing the disease to enabling patients to play computer games.

The Family Forum on March 17 was organized by the UCLA Orthopedic Institute for Children’s Center for Cerebral Palsy. The idea behind it is to encourage debate among cerebral palsy community members and healthcare professionals.

Topics will include orthopedic and spasticity management, socialization and school, advocacy, women’s health, targeted therapies, and access to computer games.

The day will begin with Dr. William L. Oppenheim reviewing current topics in cerebral palsy, including research developments.

Orthopedic management will be discussed by Dr. Rachel M. Thompson. The presentation will include treatment options for spasticity and orthopedic problems.

Dr. Eileen Fowler will cover research projects completed and in progress at the UCLA/OIC Center for Cerebral Palsy.

After these general presentations, there will be three break-out sessions. One will be “Movement and Games,” at which Ability Ballet will present a dance-based therapy program for children with cerebral palsy.

During this session the center will discuss a collaboration it has had with Microsoft to design computer games accessible to children and adults who have cerebral palsy.

Another break-out session will be “The Science of Making Friends at School.” It will explore how socially successful children interact with their friends at school. A key focus will be how children and their parents can help make school a place of success.

The third break-out session will be “Women’s Health.” A lot of the presentation will deal with the center’s work with institutions across the United States to improve the quality of healthcare provided to women with cerebral palsy.

Other organizations involved in the Family Forum include the Children’s Cerebral Palsy Movement — the organization behind the program’s development — the Tarjan Center at UCLA, the Shapiro Family Foundation, and the Jones-Kanaar Foundation.

The program will run from 12:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the UCLA Faculty Center at 480 Charles E Young Drive East in Los Angeles, according to a press release. The event is free, but registration is required. You can call Marcia Greenberg at 310-825-5858 to register.

You’ll find the full program here.