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Many children with cerebral palsy aren’t diagnosed until the second year of life. Our Early Detection and Intervention team are dedicated to changing this.
Our team of research therapists work with a global network of researchers to make breakthroughs in early diagnosis of cerebral palsy and then harness principles of neuroplasticity to treat infants with evidence-based interventions when they have the greatest impact, early in life.
Our team led the development of the International Clinical Practice Guidelines for Early Intervention in cerebral palsy. Our work focuses on implementing these guidelines in everyday practice, and exploring unanswered questions in early intervention such as “how early can we start early intervention” and what are the best interventions for supporting the early development of motor, cognitive, speech and language, and eating and drinking.
We have numerous clinical trials that we are leading and collaborating on. See our links below to exciting new studies such as the Early Communication study and the Very early Intensive enrichment Program (VIP) for infants at high risk of cerebral palsy.
The Early Detection and Intervention team play an important role in our Early Diagnosis Clinics, a network of three centres operated in partnership with NSW Health. Our Early Diagnosis Clinics in Western Sydney, Randwick and the Hunter region have supported hundreds of families since the first clinic opened in 2018.
Is it ever “too early”, to provide communication intervention for young children?
Infants with cerebral palsy (CP) are at risk for communication problems, which could have a detrimental effect on their development. Diagnosis of CP is now occurring much earlier, with accurate detection possible before 6 months of age, which means we no longer need to “wait and see” before providing intervention to infants at risk of CP. This is the first randomised controlled trial (RCT) to trial early communication intervention for infants 0-2 years at high risk of CP. This study will help us to understand whether participating in parent communication training within the first year of life, can support improved child communication skills at 2 years of age.
We are currently recruiting infants for the Early Communication Study. More info can be found via this link: https://cerebralpalsy.org.au/news-stories/clinical-research-study-early-communication-intervention/
It is important to understand how children with, or at-risk of, cerebral palsy (CP) develop over the first two years of life, so we can tailor therapy and services to maximise positive developmental outcomes. This is a global study, involving infants in several countries across the world, monitoring their early development across a range of areas including movement, thinking and communication. The findings from this study will significantly contribute to our knowledge of development for infants with CP; help us to plan treatment now and in the future; as well as guide future research in this area.
Participation in this study will give families access to timely assessment information to better plan therapy for their child. We are currently recruiting infants under 12 months (corrected age) who have a diagnosis of, or are at high risk of having, CP for the Early Natural History of CP study. More info can be found via this link: https://cerebralpalsy.org.au/news-stories/research-study-early-natural-history-of-cp/
The general movements assessment (GMA) is one of the most accessible and cost-effective tools for identifying infants at high risk of cerebral palsy. The GMA is widely used across Australian Neonatal Intensive Care Units, although only a small percentage of infants are currently screened. The government has identified resource restraints as the greatest barrier to expanding cerebral palsy screening. This study aims to explore the feasibility or screening a greater percentage of at risk infants and collect GMA data to contribute to technology that has the potential to automate the screening process.
This study will begin data collection in July 2025.
Early allied health interventions and family supports have the potential to improve outcomes for infants at high risk of cerebral palsy, yet there are currently no studies investigating the best available intervention during the first 6 months of life. This randomised controlled trial will aim to understand the best available supports in the first 6 months of life, and how these can impact parent wellbeing and infant development.
This study is being funded by the Hearts and Mind Foundation.
This study is currently recruiting.
The Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development (BSID) is a developmental assessment for children under 3.5 years. Dutch researchers have developed a Special Needs Addition (BSID- 4 SNA) with accommodations for children with motor and/or vision impairment. This international collaboration aims to improve assessment and measurement of the cognitive and language abilities of children with cerebral palsy.
This study will be recruiting soon.
Given that there has been a substantive reduction in the age of diagnosis from 19 months to 8 months of age in high-income countries such as Australia and the critical window for motor neuronal plasticity, it is essential to explore the most appropriate interventions to specifically target the lower limb. This randomised controlled trial will explore the use of implementing constraint induced movement therapy applied to the lower extremity (Baby LE-CIMT) in infants with unilateral cerebral palsy from 10-18 months of age.
This study is currently recruiting.
Early conversations regarding cerebral palsy soon after birth are hard for families and for health professionals. In this short, 4 minute video, families share their experience of early conversations regarding cerebral palsy. The aim of this video is for health professionals to consider aspects of these conversations that may support families, both at the time, and into the future.
Cathy is a Physiotherapist, she is internationally recognized for her work in early detection and early intervention for infants with cerebral palsy. Cathy is one of two General Movements Trainers in Australia. She established the Early Diagnosis Clinics in NSW.
Amanda is a Speech-Language Pathologist. Amanda’s research focuses on assessment of and interventions for dysphagia in infants with cerebral palsy. Amanda is part of the Early Diagnosis Clinic team.
Michelle is an Occupational Therapist at both the CPA Research Institute and the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at John Hunter Children’s Hospital. Her research expertise includes coaching in early intervention, goal-oriented therapy approaches to improve physical function and the translation of evidence into practice for children with cerebral palsy.
Ashleigh is an Occupational Therapist. Ashleigh’s research interests include upper limb assessment and intervention for infants with cerebral palsy. Ashleigh co-leads the Early Diagnosis Clinic research.
Cathryn is an Occupational Therapist at both the CPA Research Institute and the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Westmead Children’s Hospital in Sydney. Cathryn’s research focuses on early screening of cerebral palsy, particularly for infants with cerebral palsy who require surgery or who have congenital anomaly.
Jessica is a Clinical Psychologist. Her PhD is focusing on parent and caregiver wellbeing and support as part of the Very early Intensive multimodal enrichment Program (VIP) study for infants at risk of cerebral palsy.
Monica is a Physiotherapist. She is coordinating the Early Natural History of Cerebral Palsy study. Monica’s research focuses on understanding early developmental trajectories of infants with CP. Monica is part of the Early Diagnosis Clinic team.
Christine is a Physiotherapist. She supports administration and co-ordination of numerous clinical trials.
Eliza is an Occupational Therapist. She is supporting the Early Natural History of Cerebral Palsy research study.
Emma is an Occupational Therapist. She is coordinating and supporting the implementation of the Very early Intensive multimodal enrichment Program (VIP) study for infants at risk of cerebral palsy.
Shihani is a Physiotherapist. She is supporting the Early Natural History of Cerebral Palsy research study. Shihani is part of the Early Diagnosis Clinic team.
Naomi is a Speech Language Pathologist. She is leading the Early Comms study, the first-ever clinical trial of communications therapy for infants at risk of cerebral palsy.
Kristian is a Physiotherapist. His PhD is focusing on knowledge translation, providing therapists with resources to support their uptake of effective treatments for children with cerebral palsy.
Emma is an Occupational Therapist. She is helping to coordinate a study exploring adaptations to the Bayley-4 assessment for children with different motor or visual abilities. She provides intervention to infants in our VIP study
Anne is a Physiotherapist. She is supporting the Early Natural History study and provides intervention in our Very early Intensive multimodal enrichment Program (VIP) study for infants at risk of cerebral palsy.
Kate is a Speech Language Pathologist. She coordinates the General Movements Screening Feasibility Pilot study.
Emma is an Occupational Therapist. She currently works across both the Research Institute and Therapy services at Cerebral Palsy Alliance. Emma supports the Early Natural History Study and is part of the Early Diagnosis Clinic team.
Alisa is a Physiotherapist. She is providing intervention in our Very early Intensive multimodal enrichment Program (VIP) study for infants at risk of cerebral palsy.
Help transform lives by supporting cerebral palsy research. Your donation brings hope and progress for babies, children and adults with cerebral palsy, and their families.
Study type: Randomised controlled trial
Who can participate: Babies less than 4 weeks corrected age who are at high risk of cerebral palsy
Recruiting now!
Study type: Randomised controlled trial
Who can participate: Infants less than 12 months corrected age who have a diagnosis of or at ‘high risk’ of cerebral palsy
Recruiting now!
Study type: Randomised controlled trial
Who can participate: Infants aged 8 – 18 months who have a diagnosis of or at ‘high risk’ of unilateral cerebral palsy.
Recruiting now!
CPAdvance is an online learning platform for those who are interested in Early Detection and Early Intervention upskilling.
Contact the Early Detection & Early Intervention team at researchinstitute@cerebrapalsy.org.au
Unfortunately, many children with cerebral palsy aren’t diagnosed until the second year of life. Our Early Detection & Intervention team are dedicated to changing this.
Our team of therapists and scientists work with a global network of researchers to make breakthroughs in early diagnosis of CP and then harness the principles of neuroplasticity to treat infants with evidence-based treatments when they have the greatest impact, early in life.
Our team led the development of International Clinical Practice Early Diagnosis Guidelines for infants who are at risk or have a CP diagnosis. The guidelines make strong recommendations for a major change in standard diagnostic practice for young children and have recently been complemented by an international guideline for early intervention aiming to optimise neuroplasticity, prevent common secondary impairments and enhance parent wellbeing.
The Early Diagnosis & Early Intervention program also play an important role supporting our Early Diagnosis Clinics, a network of three centres operated in partnership with NSW Health. Clinics in Randwick, Western Sydney and the Hunter have supported hundreds of families since 2018.
Since the launch of the first CPA Early Diagnosis Clinic in 2018, we have supported almost 500 infants and their families across three sites across NSW
Conducts clinical research aimed at improving implementation of accurate early detection and discovery of effective early intervention strategies in cerebral palsy. Leads Early Detection and Early Intervention research program.
Conducts clinical research aimed at creating innovative and equitable assessment and treatment of feeding and communication disorders for infants and young children with cerebral palsy in Australia and in Low Middle-Income Countries. Administers assessments, collects data, and delivers specialised treatment across the Early Detection and Early Intervention team’s research projects.
Michelle is a Senior Research Fellow with the Cerebral Palsy Research Institute, and combines this with her clinical occupational therapy role in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Michelle’s research focuses on translation of evidence to lead to real-life changes for neonates, infants and children with cerebral palsy and their families.
Dr Ashleigh Hines is an occupational therapist and research fellow at Cerebral Palsy Alliance Research Institute. Ashleigh works in the early detection and early intervention team. Ashleigh’s PhD focused on a novel approach to bimanual therapy for children with unilateral cerebral palsy.
Monica is a senior physiotherapist at Cerebral Palsy Alliance Research Institute, working in the Early Detection and Early Intervention theme. Her research focuses on understanding early developmental trajectories of infants with CP or high risk of CP, and early intervention approaches to improve motor and other outcomes.
Christine is a research assistant at Cerebral Palsy Alliance Research Institute, working in the Early Detection and Early Intervention theme.
Eliza is an Occupational Therapist at Cerebral Palsy Alliance Research Institute, working in the Early Detection and Early Intervention theme.
Emma is a Senior Research Therapist with Cerebral Palsy Alliance Research Institute and a PhD Candidate at the University of Sydney. Emma works on the Early Detection and Early Intervention team, supporting the implementation of infant clinical trials to support early diagnosis and access to evidence-based interventions.
Naomi Hodder is a certified practicing speech pathologist and Master’s by Research candidate. Naomi is leading the first randomised controlled trial on communication intervention for infants with cerebral palsy.
Early conversations regarding cerebral palsy soon after birth are hard for families and for health professionals. In this short, 4 minute video, families share their experience of early conversations regarding cerebral palsy. The aim of this video is for health professionals to consider aspects of these conversations that may support families, both at the time, and into the future.
What we're working on
Infants with cerebral palsy (CP) are at risk for communication problems, which could have a detrimental effect on their development. Diagnosis of CP is now occurring much earlier, with accurate detection possible before 6 months of age, which means we no longer need to “wait and see” before providing intervention to infants at risk of CP. This is the first randomised controlled trial (RCT) to trial early communication intervention for infants 0-2 years at high risk of CP. This study will help us to understand whether participating in parent communication training within the first year of life, can support improved child communication skills at 2 years of age.
We are currently recruiting infants for the Early Comms study. More info can be found via this link: https://cerebralpalsy.org.au/news-stories/clinical-research-study-early-communication-intervention/
It is important to understand how children with, or at-risk of, cerebral palsy (CP) develop over the first two years of life, so we can tailor therapy and services to maximise positive developmental outcomes. This is a global study, involving infants in several countries across the world, monitoring their early development across a range of areas including movement, thinking and communication. The findings from this study will significantly contribute to our knowledge of development for infants with CP; help us to plan treatment now and in the future; as well as guide future research in this area.
Participation in this study will give families access to timely assessment information to better plan therapy for their child. We are currently recruiting infants under 12 months (corrected age) who have a diagnosis of, or are at high risk of having, CP for the Early Natural History of CP study. More info can be found via this link: https://cerebralpalsy.org.au/news-stories/research-study-early-natural-history-of-cp/
The general movements assessment (GMA) is one of the most accessible and cost-effective tools for identifying infants at high risk of cerebral palsy. The GMA is widely used across Australian Neonatal Intensive Care Units, although only a small percentage of infants are currently screened. The government has identified resource restraints as the greatest barrier to expanding cerebral palsy screening. This study aims to explore the feasibility or screening a greater percentage of at risk infants and collect GMA data to contribute to technology that has the potential to automate the screening process.
This study will begin data collection in July 2024.
Early allied health interventions and family supports have the potential to improve outcomes for infants at high risk of cerebral palsy, yet there are currently no studies investigating the best available intervention during the first 6 months of life. This randomised controlled trial will aim to understand the best available supports in the first 6 months of life, and how these can impact parent wellbeing and infant development.
This study is being funded by the Hearts and Mind Foundation.
The study is currently being co-designed with families and clinicians, with a plan to begin recruitment by the end of 2024.
Projects we've completed
