La Rabida Children’s Hospital Presents 14th Annual Symposium on April 9 "A Collaborative Approach to Cerebral Palsy"
The purpose of this year’s symposium is to increase the target audience’s understanding of cerebral palsy with its accompanying disabilities. We will also offer practitioners tools for working with individuals and families to maximize their child’s functional abilities.
Chicago, IL (PRWEB) January 21, 2010
Registration is now open for La Rabida Children’s Hospital’s (http://www. larabida. org) 14th Annual Perspectives in Care Symposium, A Collaborative Approach to Cerebral Palsy, (http://www. larabida. org) on Friday, April 9, 2010 in Chicago. This continuing education opportunity is designed for medical and ancillary healthcare professionals and educators.
Cerebral palsy (http://www. larabida. org/page-cerebral-palsy) is a general term used to capture a group of neurological disorders that appear in the first few years of life and affect a child’s ability to coordinate body movements. The condition impacts the lives of some 500,000 Americans.
About the Symposium
The day-long program features a line up of 14 healthcare professionals and other experts, including keynote speaker Janice E. Brunstrom-Hernandez, MD. (http://www. larabida. org) A Cerebral palsy advocate and pediatric neurologist, Brunstrom-Hernandez is Associate Professor of Neurology and Pediatrics at Washington University and Founder and Director of the Pediatric Neurology Cerebral Palsy Center at Washington University School of Medicine and St. Louis Children’s Hospital.
The purpose of this year’s symposium is to increase the target audience’s understanding of cerebral palsy with its accompanying disabilities. We will also offer practitioners tools for working with individuals and families to maximize their child’s functional abilities.
The goal of treatment is to help the child become as independent as possible. "Because CP can affect so many aspects of a child's development, treatment requires a team approach. A team approach is an intrinsic part of the way we work with patients and families at La Rabida. We feel very pleased to be able to offer this educational day to professionals working in the Chicagoland area," said Lauren Krause, MS, CCC-SLP, La Rabida’s Chief of Speech-Language Pathology and symposium chair.
Symposium speakers will present across three tracks – Topics in Medical Care; Topics in Therapy; and Topics for Home and Community.
A lunchtime program will highlight the journey of an actor with cerebral palsy and a choreographer who was inspired to work with him and cast him in a dance piece. The collaboration of Tamar Rogoff, a choreographer, and Gregg Mozgala, an actor and writer, has been featured nationally for their groundbreaking work in “Diagnosis of a Faun.” (http://www. larabida. org)
Who Should Attend
An interdisciplinary team of pediatric professionals designed the conference for a target audience of:
Case managers Developmental therapists Educators Nursing professionals Occupational therapists Pediatricians Physical therapists Program specialists Psychologists Service coordinators Social emotional coordinators Social workers Speech language pathologists
Continuing education credits available
Continuing education credits for this symposium have been approved by:
The National Association of Social Workers – IL (NASW-IL), a licensed provider of continuing education for LSWs, LCSWs, LCPs, LCPCs and LMFTs, for 6 CEUs
La Rabida Children’s Hospital as continuing education sponsor for PTs and OTs, for 5 hours of credit
Illinois Early Intervention Training Program for up to 5 credentialing credits for early intervention specialists
Approval is pending by:
The Illinois Nurses Association, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation
Education department of Northern Illinois University, credit hours for educators’ CPDUs
Event Location
The symposium will be held at the Gleacher Center, University of Chicago Booth School of Business, at 450 North Cityfront Plaza Drive, near NBC Tower in Chicago.
Registration Information
Early bird registration fee is $150 and includes a continental breakfast and lunch. After March 10, registration will be $170. NASW members pay $135 before March 10; $153 thereafter.
For an information guide or to register online, please visit our website: larabida. org. (http://www. larabida. org)
About Keynote Speaker Janice E. Brunstrom-Hernandez, MD
In St. Louis, Brunstrom-Hernandez and her colleagues have provided comprehensive, multidisciplinary care to more than 2,000 infant, adolescents and young adults from across the US and around the world since the Pediatric Neurology Cerebral Palsy Center at Washington University opened in 1998.
She is working to develop and test new treatment strategies for the management of the spasticity common to children with cerebral palsy. To help the children with mobility, Brunstrom-Hernandez has created physical fitness programs, including martial arts, swim and basketball camps to combat the motor disorder. Brunstrom-Hernandez’s passion and innovative approach are born of her own life-long struggles with cerebral palsy. Her life defies doctors’ predictions that she would never walk, talk, attend college or have children.
About La Rabida
La Rabida Children’s Hospital is a pediatric specialty hospital in Chicago that offers programs and services for chronic illness, developmental disabilities and abuse. Each year, the hospital hosts a conference that brings together health and education professionals to increase understanding about an important health issue.
La Rabida Children’s Hospital is dedicated to caring for children with chronic illnesses and disabilities, or those who have been abused or neglected. La Rabida also specializes in transitional, rehabilitative and interventional care subsequent to NICU, PICU or surgical treatment at another hospital.
More than 500 children with the diagnosis of cerebral palsy are seen by the hospital’s pediatricians, case managers, dieticians and rehabilitation specialists each year. Some of the programs offered these children include:
A medical home staffed by pediatricians who have expertise in primary and tertiary care of this population
Specialty outpatient clinics, including physical medicine and rehabilitation, orthopedics, BPD, adaptive seating and equipment, orthotics, oral motor and feeding, and neurology
Intensive inpatient rehabilitation following orthopedic surgery to correct a deformity, alleviate pain, or improve a function
Individual outpatient therapy with a physical, occupational, speech-language, and/or developmental therapist
Outpatient therapy groups, including Karate, “Mighty Muscles,” and “Time to Eat!”
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