Parents, caregivers and the general public were invited to attend a Public Forum on Cerebral Palsy (CP) on June 6, 2010 during a Brain Development Conference on CP and other pediatric ailments affecting the brain.

 

This event was organized by an MUHC research group led by Dr. Michael Shevell, director of the Neurology department at the Montreal Children’s Hospital, involved with the NeuroDevNet [1], initiative dedicated to studying children’s brain development from both basic and clinical perspectives.

 

A diverse group of panellists (patient, parent, clinician, physiotherapist, researcher and an administrator of a rehab facility) discussed important issues relating to research surrounding cerebral palsy.

Cerebral palsy (CP) affects 140 children in Quebec each year. Caused by brain lesions; CP is the most common cause of physical impairment encountered in pediatrics. It impairs motor development and motor function and may also be associated with intellectual, speech, hearing and visual impairments and epilepsy. Its frequency can be expected to increase due to the growing number of prematurely born children. To view full video segments of the conference, click here [2].