Waisman Center Day with the Experts: Cerebral Palsy 2026
In Person - Wiley Conference Center, Second Floor, North Tower & Virtual
In-Person and Virtual
Event Details
When:
Saturday, October 17, 2026 | 9:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Complimentary coffee & bagels at 8:30 a.m for in-person attendees.
Where:
In Person – At the Waisman Center – Wiley Conference Center, Second Floor, North Tower
Virtual – A Zoom webinar link will be sent after registration.
About:
Learn about the latest advances in cerebral palsy research and clinical services and hear from a panel of experts—individuals with cerebral palsy and family members.
Schedule & Program
| 9:00-9:05 am | Welcome – Melissa Villegas, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Waisman Cerebral Palsy Clinic Director |
| 9:05-9:45 am | Strategies for Enhancing Speech Intelligibility in Children and Youth with Cerebral Palsy Katie Hustad, PhD, Oros Bascom Professor, Communication Sciences and Disorders This presentation will highlight recent research findings from the WISC Lab, related to speech development in children with cerebral palsy (CP). We will discuss how these findings inform speech and language treatment, with a focus on maximizing functional speaking ability and the roles that different augmentative communication strategies can play in supporting speech and functional communication. Opportunities to get involved in new research focused on speech enhancement will be discussed. |
| 9:45-10:30 am | Play and Cerebral Palsy Jaclyn Bender, MS, OTR/L, Occupational Therapist, Waisman Center Clinics Play is an essential part of child development; however, it can often look differently for children with disabilities. There is great value in understanding alternate ways to promote and adapt play for children. Learn about a Waisman Center project to create resources for caregivers to support play in kids with motor impairments related to cerebral palsy. |
10:30-10:45 am | Break |
10:45-11:30 am | PANEL DISCUSSION—A panel of experts that includes individuals with CP and family members |