Episode 252 (Dr Colleen Peyton)
Trajectories of Fidgety Movements in Infants with and without medical complexity
AACPDM 2025 sneak peak!
A sneak peek at an incredible paper to be presented at AACPDM 2025 in New Orleans! This paper is a contender for the AACPDM’s highest abstract honour - the Gayle G Arnold Award!
Episode 251 (Dr Christopher Modlesky)
Effect of high-frequency, low magnitude vibration on physical activity and physical function in children with cerebral palsy: a randomised controlled trial .
AACPDM 2025 sneak peak!
A sneak peek at an incredible paper to be presented at AACPDM 2025 in New Orleans! This paper is a contender for the AACPDM’s highest abstract honour - the Gayle G Arnold Award!
Episode 250 (Arianna Trionfo MD)
The effect of immediate weightbearing after planovalgus foot reconstruction in ambulatory children with cerebral palsy
AACPDM 2025 sneak peak!
A sneak peek at an incredible paper to be presented at AACPDM 2025 in New Orleans!
Episode 249 (Elizabeth Maus)
Mobility device use in children with cerebral palsy
Reflections on this episode (Dr Pool)
A surprising finding of the paper was that family income and type of insurance did not significantly influence device access. The discussion delves into why some beneficial equipment like standers and wheelchairs are underused, despite the widespread use of lower limb braces, and highlights the critical need for early, equitable access to assistive technology.
In this episode, Elizabeth also touches on the practical challenges families face and emphasizes the importance of clinicians supporting long-term planning and advocating for better access to essential assistive technology.
Episode 248 (Dr Stina Oftedal)
Brain lesion extent, growth, and body composition in children with cerebral palsy
Reflections on this episode (Dr Pool)
In this episode, we sit down with Dr Stina Oftedal, an accredited practicing dietitian and postdoctoral research fellow at the Queensland Cerebral Palsy and Rehabilitation Research Centre at The University of Queensland, to explore her groundbreaking work in paediatric nutrition for children with cerebral palsy (CP).
Dr. Oftedal shares insights from her research on the interplay of diet, physical activity, and growth outcomes in preschoolers with CP, delving into how modifiable health behaviours like dietary habits and activity levels impact growth, body composition, and overall diet quality, offering valuable perspectives for families, caregivers, and health professionals supporting children with CP.
Episode 246 (An AACPDM 2025 preview!)
AACPDM Conference 2025 - New Orleans
Our preview of the upcoming 2025 AACPDM (the American Academy for Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine) Conference - the 79th Annual Meeting!
“Celebrating Resilience” October 15-18, 2025, to be held in New Orleans, LA.
And like that we're back for the second half of Season 5!!!
Today we are joined by AACPDM's first Vice President Theresa Sukal-Moulton - Associate Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy and Human Movement Sciences at Northwestern University and the Scientific Program Committee Co-Chair: Dr Paige Church - Director of the NICU Growth and Developmental Support Programs at Boston Children’s Hospital.
A wonderful, fun and inspiring conversation about the upcoming conference in New Orleans and a preview of an education session on the topic of Time Toxicity - a concept we all need to know about because of its profound impact on the well being of the children and families we work with.
Episode 214 (Dr Nathalie De Beukelaer)
Longitudinal trajectory of medial gastrocnemius muscle growth in the first years of life.
Reflections on this episode (Dr Pool)
In this episode, we explore a groundbreaking study on the longitudinal trajectory of medial gastrocnemius muscle growth in children aged 6 to 36 months, comparing those with spastic cerebral palsy (SCP) to typically developing peers, as detailed in a recent article by Nathalie De Beukelaer and colleagues (PMID: 37786988).
The research, utilizing 3D freehand ultrasound and MRI-based brain lesion classification, reveals that children with SCP exhibit significantly smaller muscle size at 12 months (5.8 mL vs. 9.8 mL) and that muscle volume and cross-sectional area growth rates are notably lower in children with more severe motor impairments (GMFCS levels III-IV) compared to those with milder impairments (GMFCS I-II) and typically developing children, with reductions up to 70%.
The study underscores the importance of early monitoring and intervention to address muscle growth challenges in SCP, offering critical insights for clinicians, researchers, and families navigating the complexities of cerebral palsy.
Episode 213 (Dr Ginny Paleg)
Are we focusing too much on body structures and functions? Should participation and the F-words—Fun, Family, Friends, Fitness, Function, and Future—be leading the way?
Reflections on this episode (Dr Pool)
Dr. Ginny Paleg is a pediatric physiotherapist specializing in children with severe motor impairments, particularly those at GMFCS Levels IV and V. She holds a Master’s in Physical Therapy from Emory University and a Doctorate from the University of Maryland Baltimore.
Certified in the Prechtl GMA and HINE, Dr. Paleg integrates evidence-based tools with coaching and routines-based interventions. With over 60 peer-reviewed publications, her research spans standers, supported stepping, and power mobility for children with complex needs. She is the lead author of the AACPDM Hypotonia Care Pathway and serves on the AACPDM Care Pathway Council, having held key roles in both AACPDM and the EACD.
If you’ve ever found yourself in a heated Facebook thread or a passionate discussion with colleagues about what really matters in pediatric therapy, you’re not alone. Dr. Ginny Paleg moderates some of these spaces, and what’s always clear is that therapists deeply care—they want children to thrive. But the differences in approach can be striking.
Are we focusing too much on body structures and functions?
Should participation and the F-words—Fun, Family, Friends, Fitness, Function, and Future—be leading the way?
Today, we’re diving into the heart of this tension through the lens of the ICF-CY framework. It’s a big conversation, and one we think is absolutely worth having.
Episode 212 (Álvaro Hidalgo-Robles)
Identifying and Evaluating Young Children with Developmental Central Hypotonia: An Overview of Systematic Reviews and Tools
Reflections on this episode (Dr Pool)
We dive into a comprehensive overview of systematic reviews and tools for identifying and evaluating young children with developmental central hypotonia.
Focusing on children aged 2 months to 6 years with reduced muscle tone due to non-progressive brain or brainstem damage, the study systematically reviews evidence to highlight the best tools for diagnosis and assessment, including the Hammersmith Infant Neurological Examination for infants up to 2 years, which shows strong measurement properties, and clinical algorithms and individual tools for older children up to 6 years.
The discussion explores the challenges of assessing transient delays or functional impairments in hypotonic cerebral palsy and Down syndrome, emphasising the need for further research to develop and validate reliable evaluative tools, offering critical insights for clinicians, researchers, and caregivers supporting young children with this condition.
Episode 211 (Dr Paula Chagas)
Gross Motor Family Report: Refinement and evaluation of psychometric properties
Reflections on this episode (Dr Pool)
We explore the refinement and psychometric evaluation of the Gross Motor Family Report (GM-FR), a family-friendly tool designed to assess gross motor performance in children and adolescents with cerebral palsy (CP) aged 2 to 18 years.
Through interviews with 12 parents of children across all Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) levels, the GM-FR was revised for clarity and usability, with version 2.0 demonstrating exceptional psychometric properties, including high internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.99), excellent test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.99), and strong correlations with established measures like the Gross Motor Function Measure-66 (r = 0.94) and the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (r = 0.93).
The study highlights the GM-FR’s ability to discriminate between GMFCS levels and its value as a reliable and valid instrument for clinical practice and research, offering valuable insights for families, clinicians, and researchers supporting children with CP.
open access!
Where’s the Evidence? Challenging Therapists to Stop Legitimizing Dynamic Movement Intervention and Cuevas Medek Exercises