Center for Motor Behavior and Pediatric Disabilities
Dr. Dale Ulrich
Dr. Beverly Ulrich
4118 Observatory Lodge
1402 Washington Heights
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2013
Phone: (734) 936-2607
www.umich.edu/~cmbpd/ (leaving Kinesiology site)
Mission
Our Mission — To conduct and disseminate basic scientific research to better understand the complexity of individuals with Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, and spina bifida and to utilize this knowledge to design and test innovative clinical services.
We describe complexity as the dynamic interactions of biological and psychological factors that contribute to the overall quality of the individual's motor behavior. As we learn more about the relevant factors that may alter behavior, this information is used to design and test interventions to improve the quality of functioning in people with various disabilities, including Down syndrome and cerebral palsy.
Our goal is to share this information with scientists, parents, and professionals around the world through presentations and publications of current research, discussion of review papers, and organization of seminars. As part of the University of Michigan and the School of Kinesiology, we create interdisciplinary and collaborative learning opportunities for researchers at the undergraduate through post-doctoral levels. The ultimate outcome will be a significant increase in the number of people conducting research and scholarship related to individuals with various pediatric disabilities, hopefully leading to meaningful development of movement, play, and sport skills.
Our center does not provide direct clinical services to children but does conduct clinical trials to test the functional outcomes of new innovative programs. Our mission also includes speaking to parent support groups on topics related to our research findings and to disseminate our new knowledge to professionals in physical therapy and occupational therapy. Many undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Michigan are invited to participate in many of our on-going research projects. Faculty members and graduate students at the center are involved in national and international collaborative research with other researchers who are studying cognitive and social development in children with disabilities. Our mission at the center is to have a positive impact on the whole child, recognizing that the child's physical functioning influences many other areas of their life including their families.
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Research
Research projects currently being conducted by Center personnel:
Spina Bifida
Down Syndrome
At-Risk Infants/Cerebral Palsy
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CMBPD in the News
- Program Helps Special Needs Kids Ride Bikes
FOX 2 News, Detroit
July 31, 2008
Ninety percent of children with Down syndrome, and the vast majority of children with autism, never learn how to ride a bicycle. However, as FOX 2's Lila Lazarus reports, a University of Michigan research project is making a difference. More...
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Treadmill training helps Down syndrome babies walk months earlier
Laura Bailey
UM News Service
Oct. 30, 2007
Starting Down syndrome infants on treadmill training for just minutes a day can help them walk up to four or five months earlier than with only traditional physical therapy, a new study from the University of Michigan says.
The study also suggests that infants who do high intensity treadmill training may walk even sooner.
Getting infants walking is critical because so many other skills arise from locomotion: social skills, motor skills, advancement of perception and spatial cognition, says professor Dale Ulrich of the University of Michigan School of Kinesiology and principal investigator on the treadmill training project. More...
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Members
Faculty:
Dr. Dale Ulrich (ulrichd@umich.edu), Director
Dr. Beverly Ulrich (bdulrich@umich.edu), Professor, School of Kinesiology
Dr. Susan Brown (shcb@umich.edu), Associate Professor, School of Kinesiology
Dr. Rita Ayyangar (ayyangar@umich.edu), U-M School of Medicine [Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation]
Dr. Joseph E. Hornyak, M.D. (jhornyak@umich.edu), U-M School of Medicine [Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation]
Dr. Edward Hurvitz, M.D. (ehurvitz@umich.edu), U-M School of Medicine [Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation]
Postdoctoral Researcher:
Colleen Lewis
Doctoral Students:
Beth Smith
Chad Tiernan
Research Staff:
Cheryl Drenning
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Graduate Student Opportunities
If you are interested in becoming a graduate student at the Center for Motor Behavior in Pediatric Disabilities please contact:
You may also learn more about our graduate programs on this web site, or by contacting Dr. Rod Fort, Graduate Program Chair.
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