Cerebral Palsy is caused by damage to developing brain, either during pregnancy or shortly before birth. However, diagnosis is often delayed until after a child is 24 months old when brain plasticity is already decreasing.
Our goal is to lower the age when CP is recognized to help young children benefit from the best evidence-based interventions early in life, when long-term benefits are highest.
WHY:
Because early recognition of CP can and should occur as early as possible so that:
- Babies can receive specific early intervention and surveillance to optimize
neuroplasticity and prevent complications. - Parents can receive psychological and financial support, if available.
HOW:
We have and continue to lead the efforts in clinical implementation by:
- Creating the first collaborative network of diverse institutions across the
country to test and improve our initiative. - Using only the best and newest evidence-based tools for detection of CP.
- Leveraging implementation science principles.
- Developing new and varied educational toolkits and sponsoring the first
annual international conference of its kind. - Prioritizing access to information for families and for providers.
- Building partnerships with major academic organizations such as the
American Board of Pediatrics and the National Institutes of Health.