Jane and her 12 year old daughter Jessica are like many of us, busy running between appointments, juggling commitments and always short of time.

Sound familiar to you?

But for Jane and Jessica the NDIS could give them more time.

Jessica was born with cerebral palsy. She uses a wheelchair, cannot speak and needs round-the-clock care. And on top of everything else this family has to do, her mum Jane spends hours and hours filling out forms for support and respite care.

The NDIS could make a huge difference to a family like Jane and Jessica, with a tailored individual program for Jess to make sure she has what she needs and funding from one source.

Watch Jane tell her story.

Fill out a form to support the Every Australian Counts campaign.

With BrowseAloud, visitors to CPL’s website can have online content read aloud in a high-quality, Australian-accented voice, with each word highlighted as it is spoken.

For more info about BrowseAloud click here.

Click here for the Cerebral Palsy League of Queensland.

Researchers are seeking to recruit 2,500 families with a child who has cerebral palsy.  The project will also involve 2,500 families with a child who does not have cerebral palsy.

Cerebral palsy affects approximately 1 in 500 children in Australia and is a disorder that affects control of movement and posture. Cerebral palsy is a result of injury to the neuro-motor region of the brain and symptoms vary greatly in severity from poor muscle co-ordination to quadriplegia.

Make a difference

Research projects are always being conducted, but this is one you can get involved in! Here is an opportunity for you to make a difference and to engage in community research that may help future generations.

Participation in this study is easy and simply requires a cheek swab sample of DNA (using a cotton bud) from children and their mothers. This can be posted back to the researchers, along with a short survey to be completed by mothers.  Children need to be aged between 5 and 18 years, have been born in Australia and of Caucasian background. Visit our website and enrol today!

To find out more about the study

Contact a member of the research team on 1800 800 795 (free call) or visit the website

www.adelaide.edu.au/cerebralpalsy/

The division of Research and Innovation at Novita Children’s Services would like to invite you to our 2009 Research Symposium at Novita’s Regency Park Centre on Wednesday 5th August, from 9am until 5pm.

This will be the first Symposium for the new Division and will provide an opportunity to share some of the findings from research studies conducted by Novita and our research partners.

Starting at 9am, the Symposium will feature the Inaugural Novita Research Oration, to be given by Professor Barbara Pocock, Director of the UniSA Centre for Work + Life. Professor Pocock will reflect on the challenges disability can create in maintaining life balance.

The Symposium will also incorporate the official launch of the new division by Novita’s President, Professor Andrew Downing.

The free session, to be held on Wednesday 22 July at 10.30,  goes for about an hour and will include a light morning tea and an opportunity for Q & A.

The presenter is a 2008 Young Investigator Awards (YIA) finalist. The presentation will be a snapshot of her research findings in everyday language.

Queen Victoria Lecture Theatre
Ground Floor of the Queen Victoria
Building at the Women’s & Children’s
Hospital, 72 King William Rd, North Adelaide
Gold coin donation appreciated
For more information contact:
rani.clark@wchfoundation.org.au
or phone (08) 8464 7900

RSVP’s are not required.

Invitation flier (pdf)

Cerebral palsy is not a progressive condition, but changes may occur due to variations during the child’s growth and development and the effect of intercurrent illnesses.

In addition to motor handicaps, other problems may be present, such as intellectual disability, epilepsy, visual and hearing problems, speech disorders, and eating difficulties.

The incidence of cerebral palsy remains fairly constant, at around 2.0 per 1,000 live births. Damage to the brain occurs in the majority of cases during pregnancy. It may occasionally occur in association with the birth process or during infancy such as following near drowning

Cerebral palsy is subdivided into the following types:

Hemiplegia -

involves spasticity and weakness of one side of the body. These children are usually late walking but eventually walk reasonably well. They may have more pronounced weakness in the arm. A number of the children have intellectual disability and epilepsy is relatively common in this group.

Diplegia -

There is spasticity and weakness of the lower limbs, the upper limbs being relatively spared. This form is often associated with prematurity.

Quadriplegia -

There is spasticity and weakness of all four limbs. Many of these children have multiple impairments e.g. intellectual disability, epilepsy, visual and hearing problems, communication and eating difficulties.

Ataxia -

These children often have an abnormality of the part of the brain which controls balance (the cerebellum). Ambulation is difficult because of balance problems. Coordination and fine motor skills may be affected and in some cases speech.

Athetosis/Dyskinetic -

The children in this group exhibit involuntary movements, which are slow and writhing. Speech and swallowing are often severely impaired. Many of these children are of normal intelligence but have severe communication difficulties. Ambulation and activities of daily living are often difficult.

Management of all forms of cerebral palsy is by a team approach, involving parents, paediatrician, physiotherapist, occupational therapist, speech pathologist, psychologist, teacher and (sometimes) dietician/nutritionist and paediatric rehabilitation specialist.

* Source : Novita Children’s Services Inc & Women’s and Children’s Hospital Health Information Centre