We’re excited to announce a new Question and Answer section on the Children’s Hemiplegia and Stroke Association (CHASA) website. Dr. Andrew Gordon, PhD has generously offered to answer questions relating to hand therapy, hemiplegic cerebral palsy, and related topics. At the 2012 CHASA Family Retreat, Dr. Gordon was a guest speaker and presented information on the evolution of hand therapy for children with hemiplegia.
Submit your questions for Dr. Gordon using the Ask the Hand Specialist form. Selected questions will be answered on the CHASA website, so check back frequently.
Andrew Gordon
Dr. Gordon is a Professor of Movement Science and Neuroscience & Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. He has been studying motor control in healthy individuals and individuals with Cerebral Palsy for over 20 years. In 1996 he founded the Center for Cerebral Palsy Research, consisting of a unique team of scientists and clinicians, and is committed to improving the lives of children with Cerebral Palsy through research and education. The center’s emphasis is placed on understanding the mechanisms underlying motor disorders associated with Cerebral Palsy, and developing evidence-based treatment approaches targeting these conditions.
In 1997 his group was among the first to adapt Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy (CIMT) to be child friendly and test its efficacy in a trial funded by the National Institutes for Health. Based on findings that children with hemiplegia have impairments in bimanual (two-handed) coordination problems above and beyond their unimanual (one-handed) difficulty, in 2004 Dr. Gordon and his colleagues developed an intensive form of bimanual (two-handed) training known as Hand-arm Bimanual Intensive Therapy or HABIT. In the last decade more than 150 children with Cerebral Palsy have participated in their CIMT and HABIT research program, with many participating multiple times. Dr. Gordon has over 100 peer-reviewed research papers and recently completed a randomized clinical trial of HABIT and CIMT.
