The Center for Cerebral Palsy

 

 

The Center for Cerebral Palsy at the Franciscan Hospital for Children features a full-service, state-of-the art program offering a holistic yet medically sound approach to family centered care in a comfortable, child-friendly atmosphere. The multidisciplinary team of professionals is dedicated to providing evidence-based management of children with Cerebral Palsy and similar neurologic disorders. Our goal is to help guide each child’s development with conservative and minimally invasive medical as well as surgical interventions to achieve the highest functional level in adulthood with minimal disruption of the child’s normal social and emotional development.

 

Our team of experts is committed to coordinated treatment planning, accessibility and responsiveness to family concerns, and open communication between specialties, local resources such as therapists and orthotists and with each family’s school and medical home.

 

Our pediatric expertise includes:

 

    • Rehabilitation Medicine
    • Orthopedic Surgery
    • Physical Therapy
    • Occupational Therapy
    • Speech and Language Pathology
    • Audiology
    • Otolaryngology
    • Neurology
    • Pulmonology
    • Nutrition
    • Psychology

Some of the specific problems we address include:

 

    • Disorders of movement, tone, and posture
    • Gait disturbances
    • Pain
    • Spasticity
    • Contractures
    • Scoliosis
    • Hip Dysplasia/ Dislocation
    • Feeding and nutrition
    • Educational accommodation and assistance with school service coordination
    • Sleep disturbances
    • Behavior and psychological disturbances
    • Transition to adulthood

Available Only at Franciscan Hospital for Children:

 

  • In addition to Franciscan Hospital’s other cutting-edge therapies, such as our Botox and Intrathecal Baclofen Programs, we offer the only “Mini-Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy” Program in the Northeast.
  • The Center for Motion Analysis is a high-tech laboratory for investigating subtle or complex disorders of walking and movement using computer controlled cameras, force plates and synchronized surface EMG recordings. This information is then reviewed by the team members and specific problems are addressed as needed. Measurements of energy expenditure enable the team to maximize the child’s walking efficiency and fine-tune interventions such as bracing and therapy, tone treatments such as Botox, nerve blocks, or surgical interventions.
  • Our Therapy Pool is unique in New England. A fully adjustable-height floor allows safe and comfortable transfers in and out of the pool for children of any ability level. Precisely temperature controlled water and room temperature ensure a comfortable experience every time. Infinitely adjustable water flow and speed of its integrated underwater treadmill provide the opportunity for enhanced therapies. Underwater video recordings enable the team to review the child’s response to the buoyant environment and make any necessary modifications.
  • Wii-Hab. Kids have fun while enjoying effective therapy time!
  • In addition to our clinical expertise and the attention to both child and family that only a small, personalized facility can offer, we are also easily accessible via private or public transportation, close to both the MBTA Green Line and Exit 20 off the Mass Pike, on a tree lined street in the Brighton neighborhood of Boston with unlimited free parking.

To contact the Center for Cerebral Palsy at the Franciscan Hospital for Children, please call 617.254.3800 ext. 4446.