Gait Adaptation and Biofeedback for Cerebral Palsy

This research aims to evaluate walking function in children with cerebral palsy (CP). The researchers want to understand how children with CP adapt and learn new ways of moving. They have previously found that measuring how a person controls their muscles is important for assessing walking ability and response to interventions. In these studies, they will adjust the treadmill belt speeds and/or provide real-time feedback to evaluate how a child can alter their movement. The feedback will include a wearable exoskeleton that provides resistance to the ankle and audio and visual cues based on sensors that record muscle activity. This research will investigate three goals: first, to measure how children with CP adapt their walking; second, to see if either repeated training or orthopedic surgery can improve adaptation rates; and third, to determine if individual differences in adaptation relate to improvements in walking function after treatment. This research will help develop better treatments to enhance walking capacity and performance for children with CP.