Michelle Laver remembers putting a rattle in her infant daughter’s hand and closing her little fingers around it. Then she watched the rattle fall. Kate couldn’t hold on to it. Michelle and Richard Laver, founders of Kate Farms, with Kate, 11. (Photo courtesy of Kate Farms) Kate eventually…
A video game developed by researchers at Imperial College London was shown to help patients recover from conditions that led to physical impairment by creating a collaborative environment with healthy volunteers, such as therapists and family members. This game-based therapy may represent a new rehabilitation option for patients with illnesses such…
Injections of Dysport (botulinum toxin) provide multiple benefits for children with leg spasticity caused by cerebral palsy (CP), according to a clinical trial that assessed treatment with repeat injections over the course of a year. The treatment did not only lower spasticity, but also improved measures of muscle tone…
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has awarded a $2 million grant to the UC Davis Department of Pediatrics to provide five years of financial support for a new telemedicine program for children with disabilities living in remote communities. The grant will fund the School-Based Tele-Physiatry…
More than one injection of botulinum toxin A in children with cerebral palsy (CP) was seen as less effective over the long term and had fewer gait benefits compared to patients injected once or not at all, a new study shows. The study titled, “Efficacy of Repeated Botulinum…
Pediatric patients with tetraparesis cerebral palsy (TCP) who are fed by gastrostomy, which is the insertion of a feeding tube into the stomach via an external opening in the abdomen, receive better nutrition than patients fed orally, a new study found. The study, “Comparative study on gastrostomy…
Health Canada has approved Cuvposa (glycopyrrolate) to treat chronic severe drooling in children aged 3 to 18 years old with cerebral palsy (CP) and other neurological conditions. Montreal-based Pediapharm developed Cuvposa to address excessive the saliva production — also known as sialorrhea — often found in children with CP, as…
Cells collected from the umbilical cord may hold therapeutic potential to treat children with cerebral palsy. According to the results of a Phase 2 trial, infusion of autologous cord blood (ACB) cells can improve a child’s motor function and brain connectivity. The trial data were reported in the study, “…
A patent has been granted for a new grip aid solution for patients with cerebral palsy and other conditions in which poor hand function limits daily activities. The aid allows patients with no, or very limited, grip strength to hold objects. Initially, the grip aid, EazyHold (EZ), was designed…
A study in mice has linked mothers’ exposure to smoke to their offsprings’ development of cerebral palsy and cognitive problems. The study, “Maternal Cigarette Smoke Exposure Worsens Neurological Outcomes in Adolescent Offspring with Hypoxic-Ischemic Injury,” was published in the journal Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience. Depriving a…