Today, March 25, is National Cerebral Palsy (CP) Awareness Day, and Holland Bloorview is celebrating clients and the clinicians and researchers that work with them to provide world-class care and advance disability inclusion for children and youth with CP.

CP is a disability that impacts motor control and muscle strength. It is the most common physical disability in children in Canada, affecting 2 to 2.5 out of every 1000 children annually.

At Holland Bloorview, we support and provide care, programs and services for children and youth with CP every day, with over 15 per cent of clients having a diagnosis of CP. Our child development program provides outpatient services, like our neuromotor services, to clients with diagnoses such as CP. These services can include assessment, diagnosis, consultation and therapy from various disciplines including medicine, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, psychology social work and speech-language pathology.

"Whether it is cerebral palsy or any other diagnosis, our point-of-care staff embrace all kids and youth with the understanding that they have boundless potential," says Irene Andress, vice president, programs & services and chief nursing executive. "We are proud to offer families a mix of programs and services not offered anywhere else in Ontario and we partner to provide the best interprofessional care within our walls and to prepare families for life beyond them."

Below is just a sample of the stories that highlight Holland Bloorview’s clients, as well as our innovation and progress in CP research as we continue to build supports and a greater understanding for the experiences and needs of children and youth with CP.

• Maddie is dancing through life: At thirteen, Maddie reflects on her experiences growing up with CP, from her days as a student at the Bloorview School Authority (BSA), to the physical therapy programs she has participated in over the years at the hospital to facilitate her love of dancing.
• A robot helps children with cerebral palsy move in new ways: As part of a recent study at our Bloorview Research Institute, 10 children aged three to seven trialed the Trexo, a robotic frame that attaches to a walker and powers leg movements. Families and therapists set goals for how therapy with the Trexo could carry over into the child’s everyday life.
• Ward Summer Students: Meet Swetlana: Swetlana Kumar spent the summer working in the CP Discovery Lab. Swetlana had the opportunity to contribute to the national EDIT-CP project, where she worked to develop a scoring aid for the Hammersmith Infant Neurological Exam to facilitate early detection of CP in Canada.
• Led by Dr. Darcy Fehlings, the CP Discovery Lab is an interdisciplinary, collaborative effort between researchers and clinicians focused on innovating and evaluating neurorehabilitation treatments for children and youth with CP. Dr. Fehlings is also the program lead of The Cerebral Palsy Integrated Neuroscience Discovery Network (CP-NET), a program designed to improve our understanding of CP and accelerate the development of new treatments.

"As both a clinician and researcher, I have the unique opportunity to hear first-hand what children living with cerebral palsy and their families need, then bring these ideas into the research lab from the front lines of care to ultimately develop interventions that are customized to them," says Dr. Fehlings. "Together, we’re working together to transform care for clients and families and enable them to live their lives to the fullest extent possible."