Childhood Stroke Awareness Day

Childhood Stroke Awareness Day, also known as National Childhood Stroke Awareness Day and Pediatric Stroke Awareness Day, is celebrated the first Saturday in May since 2002.

History of Childhood Stroke Awareness Day

May is Child Stroke Awareness Month. At our Rehabilitation Care Center (CRC) in Chapel Hill, Drs Elizabeth Barton, MD and Holly Holland, OTR/L, ATP, C/NDD specializes in caring for children diagnosed with paralysis half human.

Dr. Barton is an Assistant Clinical Professor in the UNC Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. She had received the medical degree of the University of Kansas. Dr. Barton visits patients at UNC Rehabilitation Care Center (CRC) and UNC Children's Hospital. Her areas of interest include cerebral palsy, spasticity management, neuromuscular disorders, and difference between limbs, pediatric musculoskeletal medicine, and injury prevention.

First, stroke in children occurs. Many people don't know that babies and children have strokes. The incidence of stroke in utero is about 1/2200 live births. Evidence-based interventional therapy and national support groups exist to support both infants/children and their families. Evidence-based interventions include Binding Mobility Therapy and Two Person Intensive Interventions. CHASA is a national support organization.

How to celebrate Childhood Stroke Awareness Day

I really enjoy working with parents to provide the tools a child may need to thrive, explore their environment, and have fun as a kid! It is a team effort that brings together doctors, nurses, therapists, neuropsychologists, social workers, school groups and community resources to help each child achieve its potential.

The rewards are endless. I love being a small part of helping kids learn new skills that make them more independent, confident and improve their quality of life. Families are eager to learn and do activities that support their child's functional status.

After a stroke, a child can often experience difficulty with strength, coordination, mobility, and increased muscle tone. Despite these challenges, most children who have a stroke that affects one side of their body will continue to walk and will find new ways to do familiar tasks. In some children, communication, as well as swallowing, vision and cognition may be affected. New behavioral or learning concerns may arise. Seizures can develop in some children. Usually, a great functional improvement is observed in the first 1-2 years after stroke in children.

Common challenges for children include marked impairment of motor control in the upper and lower extremities of the body affected by stroke. When one side of your body is not working well, you are faced with completing 2 assigned tasks each day. As they grow up, they face confidence problems in social interactions because they are "different". They may be dependent on their family because it is too difficult to complete daily tasks appropriate for their age. Families want to support their children, but they also want to see them develop independence and healthy social relationships with peers.