LAUSR

Most of us assume that parents and families are partners in our goal of providing best care for their children. In this issue, we have reminders of ways in which we need to be constantly vigilant of parents’ perspectives and their voices. The research by Yeh and colleagues investigates a comparison between physical therapists and parents collecting videos of the General Movement Assessment (GMA).1 The GMA is an early predictor of cerebral palsy and current best practice for early identification of cerebral palsy encourages the use of the GMA scored by people who have received specific training on this scale.2 This can be challenging and is enhanced if parents collect videos of their infants at home that are appropriate for scoring by experts. Yeh and colleagues developed an instructional leaflet for parents to support successful GMA recordings. These home assessments provided videos for valid clinical assessments by trained therapists. Parents as partners supported the early identification of possible cerebral palsy. The Clinical Bottom Line (CBL) feature of Pediatric Physical Therapy is one of my favorite features of the journal. The insight of the authors provides a broadening of the issues investigated in the accompanying research. Joanna Reidy, the parent of a child with Atypical Rhett Syndrome, coauthored with Dr Eileen Ricci on the CBL that accompanies the article by Yeh and colleagues. They encourage therapists to support parents in successfully videotaping their infants’ assessments at home to support early identification. Parents as coauthors bring unique insight to the journal and to our thinking. In their CBL, Drs Joe Schreiber and Jennifer Brilmyer encourage that “development of psychomotor and communication skills with children and families might be an area of focus, within the identified priorities and considerations” for pediatric physical therapy education. Take a few minutes to read the Perspective written by Dr Shailen Singh. Dr Singh is the father of a 6-year-old boy with cerebral palsy. Every day, he, his son, and their family experience environments that are often hostile to everyday participation. These barriers to participation are not intentional but emerge when perspectives are ignored. Parents, families, and children as partners expand our perspectives.