Spring 2017 Newsletter

 

The Pediatric Rehabilitation Research Lab Newsletter

May 12th, 2017

 

“That Stephen was at last able to enjoy that basic human right to move about freely, as and when and where he chose ……it was the result only of his own hard work and of his own success in physics.” – Jane Hawking, Traveling to Infinity

Jane Hawking describes the ability to move about freely as a basic human right. Our comprehensive team of stakeholders passionate about improving motor and health outcomes for children with cerebral palsy (CP) agree.

 

The overall goal of ACHIEVE is to compare the effectiveness of high intense periodic, and usual weekly therapy in treating CP in children 2-8 years of age for motor rehabilitation. The dose of a treatment is very important for making someone

better. Dose can mean taking an accurate amount of a medicine at specific times throughout the day or completing a defined number of repetitions of an exercise. A common concern for parents is what the most effective intensity is, and when to provide it, for the individual needs of their child.

This research will improve healthcare decision making by caregivers and clinicians about intensity of outpatient therapy.

 

BY THE NUMBERS:

Treating therapists, thank you so much for your support and treatment of patients in DRIVE and ACHIEVE.

DRIVE: 2 sites and 8 therapists have treated 13 patients for ~500 hours.

ACHIEVE: 3 sites and 15 therapists have treated 11 patients for ~150 hours.


Rachel Bican and Gardenia de Oliveira Barbosa at the Infant Lab’s booth at the March of Dimes on Sunday, April 30th, 2017. Special thanks to one of our ACHIEVE stakeholders, Joyce Kuehner, for help- ing coordinate our booth.

The DRIVE and ACHIEVE teams welcomed 4 baby girls in 2 months.  Congratulations Rachel, Kathy, and Gardenia.

UPCOMING EVENTS


Stakeholders:
Please contact PhD student and physical therapist, Rachel Bican, if you are interested in joining our parent stakeholders for a conversation and discussion on topics of recruitment and enrollment. Email: bicanrachel@gmail.com

RESEARCH PRESENTATIONS

  • Sarah Hendershot will present at Nationwide Children’s Hospital’s Best Outcomes in Pediatric OT/PT: Integrating Literature to Impact Lives. Authors: Sarah Hendershot & Ilene Crabtree Title: Motor Learning and Dosing for Physical Therapists
  • Heathcock will present a free paper at American Academy for Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine Annual Meeting. Authors: Sarah Hendershot, Rachel Ferrante, Kathleen Baranet, Helen Carey & Jill Heathcock Title: Improvements Following a Daily Intensive Motor Learning Program for Young Children with Cerebral Palsy
  • Heathcock and research therapists Liz Maus, Devon Nyktas, and Jess Lewis will present an education session at the Academy of Pediatric Physical Therapy Annual Conference. Authors: Jill Heathcock, Liz Maus, Devon Nyktas & Jess Lewis; Title: Dosing for Intensive Pediatric Rehabilitation: Treatment Types, Frequencies, and Outcome Measures

 

CONGRATS GRADS!

Rachel Bican (left)- dual-degree PhD/DPT student; passed her boards and is now a licensed PT working in our lab and will continue towards her PhD.

Danielle Rosine (middle) – DPT; passed her boards and will practice as a li- censed PT up in Cleveland, OH

Emily Durbak (right) – B.S. in Biomedical Science; will be attending medical school at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine