Neuroplasticity

Apple store welcomes YouTube sensation Christopher Hills with assistive tech

At just 18 years old, Christopher Hills is already a YouTube sensation and master video producer and editor. The Sunshine Coast teenager – who likes Doctor Who, Marvel movies and Star Wars but is most passionate about aviation … READ MORE

Motor skills will not develop fully without opportunities to practice

Knowing that motor skills will not develop to their full potential without opportunities to practice in environments that are stimulating and supportive, we evaluated the effect of a physical activity (PA)-based intervention targeting … READ MORE

Walking study in CP highlights need for tailored orthotic prescription

Effects of AFOs on distance, speed vary.. A recent study demonstrates the importance of personalizing prescriptions for ankle foot orthoses (AFOs) in children with cerebral palsy, rather than applying group data to individuals. … READ MORE

Stability for CP: AFOs benefit diplegic children

In children with diplegic cerebral palsy (CP), wearing bilateral ankle foot orthoses (AFOs) that promote heel-first ground contact helps to improve stability and may reduce the risk of falls, according to research presented in March … READ MORE

FES showed no benefits in patients with isolated foot drop

Patients with hemiplegia who used a functional electrical stimulation device for isolated foot drop showed no significant functional differences during gait, according to results presented at the Association of Children’s … READ MORE

I’m the first quadriplegic person to regain thought-control of my arm

After being paralysed six years ago, Ian Burkhart is now able to swipe a credit card and play the computer game Guitar Hero, thanks to a device that uses machine learning to read his thoughts and stimulate his arm. Ian Burkhart, Ohio … READ MORE

Mobility plays important role in development for toddlers with disabilities

Typical toddlers simultaneously spend about three hours a day in physical activity, play and engagement with objects such as toys, while their peers with mobility disabilities are less likely to engage in all of those behaviors at the … READ MORE

Early focus on gross motor skills may benefit children with autism

Study finds link to social milestones. In children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), lower fine and gross motor skills are associated with higher disease severity scores, according to new research that supports the concept of … READ MORE

It’s a horse, of course: equine therapy

The horse simulator was created at Rice’s Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen, where students have all the resources they need to design and build projects. Here, students Jaime Gomez and Amy Ryu prepare to test their device, intended … READ MORE

Horses sooth the soul for special needs kids

The healing power of equine therapy. A pink-haired teenager painted two pictures on the side of her massive, living canvas. First, the girl drew a picture of a broken heart and a horse. Then, she used the paint to sketch a person and … READ MORE

Vibration therapy improves mobility and strength in young people with cerebral palsy

Young adults with cerebral palsy enjoy stronger bones and greater mobility after training on a specialised vibration plate. Mobility-enhancing care in CP helps strengthen bones. Kids at the Atlanta center work on improving motor … READ MORE

Tablets and YouTube empower people with intellectual disability

A Concordia researcher underlines the lasting value of first-person storytelling. The distinction between doing research ‘with,’ and doing research ‘on’ is really important, says Ann-Louise Davidson, an associate professor in … READ MORE

iPad opens world to a disabled boy

OWEN CAIN depends on a respirator and struggles to make even the slightest movements — he has had a debilitating motor-neuron disease since infancy. Photo by Alene Tchekmedyian, L.A. Times By Emily B. Hager, The New York Times … READ MORE

Ankle-foot orthoses improve CP gait

Strategies alter ankle, knee kinematics. Floor-reaction ankle foot orthoses and wedge-based tuning significantly improve ankle and knee kinematics in children with cerebral palsy, according to separate studies from Greenvile, SC, and … READ MORE

Gait retraining improves symptoms of knee OA

Walking differently to reduce knee pain. A number of different gait modifications have been demonstrated to significantly reduce the knee adduction moment in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA). Now research suggests gait … READ MORE

NIH funds development of robots to improve health, quality of life

Robots to help visually impaired identify and grasp objects, increase mobility in elderly, and promote curiosity and determination in children. Using a robot arm, Cathy was able to lift a bottle and drink for the first time in 15 … READ MORE

Drive with your eyes! Eye tracking wheelchairs for quadraplegics

Patrick Joyce, who suffers from motor neuron disease (MND), has received a $196,000 prize from Hackaday after inventing a unique 3D printed mobility device. The Eyedrivomatic technology, developed in collaboration with Steve Evans and … READ MORE

Paralyzed people regain movement using brain interfaces

After doctors bridge his spinal injury with electronics, a paralyzed man can control his arm with his thoughts. On the ceiling of Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel, God reaches out to touch Adam. The eye locks on the small gap … READ MORE

Paraplegic man walks with own legs again

American man, 26, completes 3.5-metre course thanks to computer system that reroutes signals from his brain to electrodes on his knees. Fig. 1. Partial picture of the overground walking course, depicting the BCI-Parastep system, the … READ MORE

Toe walking treatment and management

The management of toe walking is controversial — the natural history is poorly defined, and only limited data are available regarding direct comparisons of different treatment modalities. Therefore, the physician’s first decision … READ MORE

Robotic glove for post-stroke hand rehabilitation

Initial rehabilitation therapy for many stroke victims may focus on regaining the ability to walk. But when hands also are affected, therapy focused only on the legs can leave hand muscles contracted, a condition that can be difficult … READ MORE

Met + Parsons Museum Accessibility Collaboration Workshop

Web accessibility for museums. The Metropolitan Museum of Art + The New School for Design at Parsons, New York. A group of students with disabilities visiting the Museum’s Cast Collection galleries, Wing B, Gallery 40. … READ MORE

Non-surgical approach helps people with paralysis voluntarily move their legs — a first

Paralyzed men move legs with new non-invasive spinal cord stimulation. Five men with complete motor paralysis were able to voluntarily generate step-like movements thanks to a new strategy that non-invasively delivers electrical … READ MORE

Neural plasticity and treatment across the lifespan for motor deficits in cerebral palsy

Kids playing. Anca Serbanescu, flickr George F Wittenberg PhD, Baltimore VA Medical Center Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center, Baltimore MD, USA, Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology October 2009 The past … READ MORE

Interdisciplinary approach to exploring motor function

Using techniques from neuroscience, biomechanics, kinesiology, signal processing, control systems, physiology, and image processing, Lena Ting’s work aims to better characterize and model normal and impaired performance of … READ MORE

Alice Wong sets out to chronicle disability history

Disability Visibility with Along Wong. Exploring the provocative side of disability. 2015 marks the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and there are a number of efforts underway to publicly acknowledge that … READ MORE

Controlling drop foot: beyond standard AFOs

The basic goal of orthotic management is to improve toe clearance during swing and provide stability during stance, but new technologies—from energy-storing composites to functional electrical stimulation—do much more. By Jeremy … READ MORE

Adjustable Dynamic Response AFOs

Adjustable dynamic response (ADR) AFOs addressed common gait abnormalities in an adolescent with diplegic cerebral palsy, according to a presenter at the American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists Annual Meeting and Scientific … READ MORE

Brain-computer interface reverses paralysis in stroke

St. Louis, Missouri – After three strokes that left the right side of his body paralyzed, Rick Arnold told his wife Kim that he had just one wish. Brain-computer interface reverses paralysis in stroke victims. Reuters. Uploaded … READ MORE

Robot arm controlled by quadriplegic’s intentions

California researchers have linked a robot arm to the brain of a quadriplegic man, giving him smooth control over the arm. Quadriplegic Erik Sorto gives himself a drink, via electrodes in the part of his brain linked to intentions. by … READ MORE

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