NSF Award
1649765
1649765 - Bonato<br/><br/>The proposed workshop will bring together experts in the field of pediatric rehabilitation to discuss the development of new technologies aimed to improve the effectiveness of clinical interventions. Pediatric rehabilitation could be made significantly more effective if appropriate technology was made available to clinical teams. The workshop is expected to contribute to improving the outcomes of clinical interventions in children with motor and cognitive impairments. Hence, the workshop will contribute to advancing the health of many individuals in the US and worldwide. The discussions that will take place during the workshop will be summarized in a manuscript that will be made available to the public at large.<br/><br/>Technology plays a significant role in rehabilitation. However, the literature shows a disproportionate number of studies in adults compared to the few studies devoted to the use of technology in pediatric populations. This is surprising because researchers have typically achieved very encouraging results when applying technology to facilitate the implementation of rehabilitation interventions in pediatric populations. These considerations provide motivation to the proposed workshop entitled "Can Technology Make a Difference in Pediatric Rehabilitation"? This rhetorical question emphasizes the need for fostering research at the intersection of engineering, computer science, and rehabilitation with focus on pediatric interventions. The proposed workshop will bring together top-notch researchers in North America who have significant experience in the development and use of technology for pediatric rehabilitation. The workshop will be organized in four sessions entitled: 1) Identifying Clinical Needs and Developing Technologies; 2) New Frontiers in Rehabilitation Robotics; 3) Measuring and Modeling to Design Better Interventions; and 4) Technologies to Enable New Interventions. The workshop will result in a position paper that will be published in an open access journal. The manuscript will identify areas of research that have potential for achieving significant impact in the field of pediatric rehabilitation. The workshop is expected to have an impact on the development of future research in pediatric rehabilitation. Ultimately, we anticipate that research inspired by the discussions that will take place during the proposed workshop will provide individuals with disability with tremendous long-term benefits. The preparation of the workshop will include a graduate student and a pre-medical summer intern. The preparation of the workshop will provide them with a unique training opportunity. Both these students will be directly involved in planning the workshop and coordinating all related activities. The graduate student will also contribute to the preparation of the manuscript that will be generated on the basis of the presentations and discussions that will take place during the workshop. Additionally, the workshop will be video casted and archived. Hence, it will be available to the public at large.
