Taylor Rech, Waisman Communications Intern
To kick off March, Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month, the Waisman Center hosted its first Waisman Center Day with the Experts: Cerebral Palsy on Saturday, March 1. Nearly 200 people attended the outreach event, which was a partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Day with the Experts: Cerebral Palsy is one of four Day with the Experts events hosted annually by the Waisman Center. The first of its kind related to cerebral palsy (CP), the event welcomed attendees of a wide range of ages and abilities as well as family members, educators, and service providers of individuals with CP. The day focused on connecting experts with the CP community to discuss recent research and clinical advancements and to share information.
Attendees heard presentations from Waisman Center providers Michael Ward, MD, and Ruth Benedict, PhD, OTR, focusing on the complexity of CP and the range of function levels found in children with CP.
The event also featured a presentation from Marshalyn Yeargin-Allsopp, MD, Chief of the Developmental Disabilities Branch of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dr. Yeargin-Allsopp discussed the CDC’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Cerebral Palsy Network and reviewed the latest research regarding children living with CP.
At the conclusion of the presentations, attendees had the opportunity to submit questions and hear from a panel of children, parents and grandparents affected by CP. Panelists shared stories from their varying experiences and discussed the impact of CP on their lives.
The event was broadcast live for remote viewers unable to attend. In addition, Wisconsin Public Television will rebroadcast the complete program at a later date as part of the University Place Series that viewers can access online. Please check back soon for a link to the recording of the presentations or like us on Facebook to receive updates.