New book available on Life Quality Outcomes!

In their new book, Drs. G Ronen, P Rosenbaum, and other contributors discuss the theory, concepts and evidence related to the assessment of health and well-being of children and young people with chronic conditions. Themes include the important lessons to be learned from the lifecourse experiences of children and young people with these conditions; how these observations provide insights for professionals in the development and delivery of services; and how to use valid scientific methods to measure life quality outcomes. View table of contents: 'Life Quality Outcomes in Children and Young People with Neurological and Developmental Conditions: Concepts, Evidence and Practice'.

New Move & PLAY study summary available: Family Life
The purpose of the Move & PLAY study was to follow a large number of children over a period of one year to understand the factors associated with motor function, self-care, participation and play of young children with cerebral palsy. Four hundred and thirty children were recruited in Canada and the US. In this summary, Family Life, the researchers describe various aspects of family ecology of young children with cerebral palsy across motor ability levels. Click here to view the Move & PLAY dissemination materials in English, and in French.

"When in doubt, sit them out!"

Laura Turner is an occupational therapist, and a mother of a 10 year old boy. She discusses how the CanChild concussion guidelines helped her to understand when it was O.K. for her son to go back to activity following a concussion while playing hockey. She also used them to speak with her physician, the hockey coach and her son to help ease him back into school and activities. Listen to (and read about) Laura's interviews: on CTV's Canada AM, AM900 CHML (March 13, Hour 3), the Hamilton Spectator, CBC Hamilton, and the New Hamburg Independent. The concussion guidelines are available here.

Geographical patterns in the recreation and leisure participation of children and youth with cerebral palsy: A CAPE international collaborative network study
Research in this study published in Developmental Neurorehabilitation examined Children's Assessment of Participation and Enjoyment (CAPE) data from over 1000 children/youth with cerebral palsy from Australia, Ontario, Quebec, and the US. There were many similarities in recreation and leisure participation across these regions, and only two substantial differences: children/youth from the US participated in the fewest active physical activities; those from Ontario took part in the most self-improvement activities. The youngest age group took part in the most recreational activities, and those in GMFCS level IV/V had the lowest levels of participation. Authors: G King, C Imms, R Palisano, A Majnemer, L Chiarello, M Orlin, M Law, L Avery. Abstract.

Participation in the home environment among children and youth with and without disabilities
The Participation and Environment Project team recently published this article in the British Journal of Occupational Therapy. The Participation and Environment Measure for Children and Youth (PEM-CY), a new and reliable parent /caregiver-report tool, was completed online by 576 parents of children/youth with and without disabilities from Canada and the US to examine participation patterns and environmental supports and barriers within the home setting. The results showed significant differences between children with and without disabilities for all home-based PEM-CY participation and environment summary scores. Implications for occupational therapists are highlighted. Authors: M Law, D Anaby, R Teplicky, MA Khetani, W Coster, G Bedell. Abstract.

Development of a generic fidelity measure for rehabilitation intervention research for children with physical disabilities
Intervention fidelity is the degree to which an intervention is conducted as planned in research. 'Generic' fidelity measures evaluate more than one intervention through observation of characteristics relevant across interventions. This study describes the first generic fidelity measure in paediatrics, the Paediatric Rehabilitation Observational Measure of Fidelity (PROF). Items were constructed from multiple sources to create a general attributes domain and two paediatric cerebral palsy (CP) intervention-specific domains. The PROF was found to be reliable and valid for evaluating interventions used for children with CP within the Focus on Function Study. Published in Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology. Authors: B DiRezze, M Law, K Eva, N Pollock, JW Gorter. Abstract. 

Criterion validity of the GMFM-66 item set and the GMFM-66 basal and ceiling approaches for estimating GMFM-66 scores
This study published in Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology compared the validity of the Gross Motor Function Measure 66-item set (GMFM-66-IS) and the GMFM-66-basal and ceiling (GMFM-66-B&C) scores to the full GMFM-66. The cross-sectional agreement was excellent for both abbreviated measures however the GMFM-66-IS had stronger agreement with the GMFM-66 when measuring change over time in children with unilateral CP. The authors recommend that until more prospective studies can be done, if the primary goal is to measure change, the full GMFM-66 is still the gold standard. Authors: LM Avery, DJ Russell, PL Rosenbaum. Abstract.