In the older child or teenager with established maladaptive habits, the task is to create new, more useful ways of using the hand(s). This is still possible, but it takes […]
Change Your Mindset, Change Your Outcome
I once was faced with an angry teenager who refused to go to therapy. His parents had asked me to talk some sense into him. So, I tried to teach […]
How Doctors Think by Jerome Groopman, MD – What Every Parent Should Read
In his new book, “How Doctors Think,” Dr. Jerome Groopman claims that doctors’ personal feelings can affect their diagnoses of patients. He talks with Katie Couric. (CBSNews.com) Is your doctor […]
Karen Pape Webcast: Optimizing Outcomes in Cerebral Palsy
Our children and teenagers are missing out on the revolution! Lifelong neuroplasticity means that our human brains can regrow new cells, repair damaged areas, reallocate brain resources and reorganize what […]
The measure of who we are is what we do with what we have. -Vince Lombardi
This little boy can run well, but walks awkwardly with a characteristic movement pattern of a child with cerebral palsy. If you look for it, there are many children who […]
What Do I Do First?
This 4-year-old boy has Diplegia. His speech is clear, but he runs out of breath. This difficulty is NOT a brain problem, it is caused by trunk weakness. Putting him […]
Demonstrating Brain Potential
In children with cerebral palsy, their early movement patterns are learned with a damaged, immature brain. It becomes their “normal” way of moving. When challenged to move differently, surprising things […]
Real, Not False Hope
There is a continuing controversy in pediatric neurorehabilitation about how much hope to give parents of a child with diagnosed brain damage. This interview gives my position, as well as […]
Alignment, Awareness, Recruitment and Strength
In the older child, teen or adult with established body habits, the first step is to restore alignment. In many, this can be accomplished in a few days of intensive […]
Can Therapeutic Riding Help?
I think this photo tells an important story. Riding a horse is a child-active therapy that has therapeutic benefits with documented improvements in postural control and balance. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1469-8749.2011.03951.x/full In my […]