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This week Gabrielle is attending an 8 day constraint induced therapy camp organized by Holly Holland, an occupational therapist at UNC, Chapel Hill. Here is a short article which describes her motivation and vision for the camp.

Today is Gabby’s fourth day and I am so impressed with the effort being put forth to help kids with hemiplegia (paralysis of one side of the body). There are 33 children here this week who struggle with hemiplegia. The hemiplegia in most cases resulted from a stroke although a few are the result of brain malformations, surgery, or trauma. Every child was casted ahead of time and a bivalve cast was made for the unaffected arm. This cast is worn each day on the “good” arm to necessitate use of the affected arm during countless camp activities. Each child is matched with a “helper” who in most cases is an OT/PT student. The campers are broken down into age appropriate groups and then each group rotates in and out of different rooms where activites are organized to facilitate use of the hemiplegic arm. Several of the camp days incorporate a specific theme like “space day” or “luau day” and then all of the activites and snacks revolve around this theme. Many parents and therapists are here volunteering throughout the day helping with campers or prepping crafts, snacks, and activities.

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