Cerebral Palsy Research

Response blocking and response interruption are common interventions for problem behavior maintained by automatic reinforcement in the treatment literature, but these interventions may be extremely challenging for caregivers to implement with fidelity (i.e., immediately blocking each instance)

This dissertation examines the relationship between several neighborhood and individual-level factors and the probability of delivering a preterm infant. Infants born prematurely, or at less than 37 weeks of gestation, have a greater risk of long-term developmental disabilities, such as cerebral palsy, than infants born at full term.

Children with CP are extremely heterogeneous in terms of etiology and clinical features. The diversity of symptoms among CP syndromes is a challenge for different branches of health research. Despite the efforts of many studies in examining rehabilitation strategies to improve upper limb (UL) function in children with CP, the confidence in the validity of these studies’ evidence is still moderate to low.

People with Cerebral Palsy (CP) have difficulty using computer pointing devices due to unintentional movement in their upper extremities. Fifty percent of people with CP have impaired arm-hand function which limits their ability to interface with pointing devices and effectively control cursor movement on the computer screen. This thesis involves two studies which utilize an Isometric Joystick in order to access the computer and complete target acquisition tasks.

Cerebral palsy is a neuromuscular disorder that affects movement and posture. It is characterized by poor muscle tone and posture, spasticity, unsteady gait, limited mobility, speech impairments, and a forward displaced center of gravity. A child with cerebral palsy experiences certain impairments towards normal function and development, making typically routine daily functions such as eating, walking and writing a challenge.

Cerebral palsy is an occurrence in which the nerves and muscles if the body may function properly, but there is damage to the brain that causes it to transmit incorrect electrical impulses to the muscles including both too many and too few signals.

Students with disabilities have to overcome many barriers when attaining post-secondary education. This thesis investigates how programs and policies affect students with disabilities.

In recent years, increased focus has been placed on the role of intrauterine infection and inflammation in the pathogenesis of fetal brain injury leading to neurodevelopmental disorders such as cerebral palsy.

To investigate the effect a supination splint would have on upper limb function of cerebral palsy children for six months after receiving Botox® injections.

Three experiments were designed to explore the measurement of muscle fatigue in people with cerebral palsy (CP).

Cerebral palsy (CP) is a persistent but not unchanging disorder of movement and posture, appearing early in life and caused by a non-progressive lesion of the developing brain.

Chronic sorrow has been defined as a permanent and reoccurring experience of pervasive sadness and loss which underlies the life experience and which recurs over time for the parent of a child with developmental, medical, or behavior issues that prevent him from participating in society in a way previously anticipated by parents.

There is increasing evidence that a positive start to school sets the child up for continued positive educational experiences and future life opportunities(Dockett & Perry, 2007). In an inclusive era, it is important to investigate the processes that promote the success of inclusion.

Social participation is essential to well-being for adolescents with and without disabilities. Adolescents with a disability, however, often have fewer friendships and experience social isolation compared to their peers without disability. Telecommunications play a vital role in facilitating social participation for adolescents yet those with a disability experience reduced access. Based on the World Health Organisation’s framework of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) this study aimed to identify environmental factors (barriers and facilitators) that impact on participation in telecommunication use, as perceived by adolescents with cerebral palsy and their communication partners.

The survival rates for very low birthweight (VLBW; birthweight ≤1500 g) children are increasing, but they run a greater risk than controls of developing neurosensory disabilities and other functional problems during childhood.

Perinatal hypoxic ischaemic injury is an important cause of both neonatal death and long-term disability. The sequence of resuscitation followed by a latent phase then a secondary cascade of injury is well documented.

Postural instability is a classical characteristic of cerebral palsy (CP), but it has not been examined in the during simultaneous supra-postural activity.

[Truncated abstract] Cerebral palsy is the most common physical disability in childhood (Reddihough & Collins, 2003). The most characteristic features of those with cerebral palsy are the physical disabilities that arise as a result of the brain lesion, including; spasticity, muscle weakness and atrophy, soft-tissue contracture and joint deformity.

Notions of quality of life dictate philosophies and policies for services for people with developmental disabilities. There is an abundance of research on quality of life, much of which has influenced the significant amount of study of quality of life for people with developmental disabilities

There are a lack of reliable and valid clinical outcome measures to assess the effects of medical interventions in children with cerebral palsy, potentially compromising research and clinical practice in this area. The objective of this thesis was to identify and develop reliable outcome measures that could be used to evaluate the effects of botulinum toxin A in children with cerebral palsy.

Antenatal causes of cerebral palsy and adverse pregnancy outcomes: investigating associations between inherited thrombophilia, cytokine polymorphisms and viral infections.