News

Find out what’s new at Cerebra and with our amazing families and supporters.

New CEO For Cerebra

Jess Camburn is currently the Chief Executive and founder of Elrha, a global organisation that finds solutions to complex humanitarian problems through research and innovation. Jess developed and led the organisation from a small project grant in 2008, to becoming the leading global actor in the humanitarian R&I system with a multi-million annual budget. Jess […]

Family with siblings

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mum putting her daughter to bed

Tailored Sleep Interventions in Neurodevelopmental Conditions

Dr Georgie Agar Last year we reported that researchers at Aston University were working in partnership with Cerebra to understand ...
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Expert Sleep Advice for Autism and ADHD

We recently heard from a family who got in touch to tell us how our Sleep Advice Service was able ...
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New Books in our Library this October

Sensory Processing Disorder L7042: Understanding Your Child’s Sensory Signals 4th Edition by Angie Voss ADHD L7043: ADHD Figuring it out ...
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Navigating Life After a Brain Injury: The Power of Rehabilitation and Collaboration

Equipment and Rehabilitation: Enhancing Quality of Life  Access to the right equipment and rehabilitation can significantly improve quality of life ...
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Fish Tank Fun For Arthur

Our Innovation Centre designs and builds innovative, bespoke products to help disabled children discover and engage with the world around ...
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Securing Direct Payments To Transform A Family’s Life

Direct Payments are intended to give families more control over the care and support services their children need and are ...
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Developing The Next Generation Of Researchers – Daniel Sutherland

"My name is Daniel Sutherland, and I have spent the last three years completing a PhD funded by Cerebra and ...
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Floating Music Stations Are A Hit

At the Cerebra Innovation Centre (CIC) we respond to requests from parents, therapists and school teachers to invent new products ...
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Law Commission seeks views on disabled children’s social care law

The Law Commission has published an important consultation paper on disabled children’s social care law in England.  The Commission has ...
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MumFighter – Partnership brings powerful story to the stage

We are proud to have partnered with theatre company Grand Ambition to bring a play with a powerful message to ...
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New kids books in the library

Books in the Library on Cerebral Palsy

Our Librarian Jan takes a look at all of the books in our Library on Cerebral Palsy this World Cerebral ...
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happy little girl with books

Project breaking barriers to media content creation

A project has been awarded funding to begin development of tools to make media content production more accessible to everyone ...
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Introducing Stori Lab

We’re excited to launch Stori Lab, an innovative project in partnership with Cowshed and Media Cymru, focused on empowering young ...
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New sensory items for our lending library

We have recently purchased some new sensory items for our lending library. Sensory issues are common in children with neurodiverse ...
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Book review: I’ve Got You!

Sometimes books just say it all! And this one does that perfectly. It’s written for children trying to figure out ...
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Surfing USA!

Brandon Klein, a student from New York, wanted to transform the surfing experience for disabled people. Earlier this month he ...
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Our Library Service Bringing Happiness

Vicky is mum to eight-year-old twins Isaac and Enoch, who both have disabilities. The boys love football and vehicles, reading, ...
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A selection of toys available from cerebra's lending library

Our Library Brings Mum And Daughter Time

Three year old Alexandra likes jumping about, climbing as high as she can, going to the zoo and her iPad. ...
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A selection of toys available from cerebra's lending library

Sensory Engagement For Luca

Luca playing with a yellow sensory ball Our Toy Library has a variety of sensory toys for all sorts of ...
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Cassidy and her Mum Dawn

Celebrating 15 Years of the GoTo Seat

We celebrate the 15 years of the GoTo seat with Dawn, whose request to our Innovation Centre led to the ...
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‘The BEST day ever’: Harry and Tommy smash the Superheroes Tri

On a sunny Saturday in August, our Superhero Harry (aka Phoenix Fire) and his brother Tommy (Super-Farmer-Ted) completed the epic ...
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happy disabled boy painting with his family

RCPCH refuses to withdraw its 2021 Fabricated or induced illness (FII) guidance

Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health refuses to withdraw its 2021 guidance concerning Fabricated or induced illness (FII) by ...
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Systems Generated Trauma Survey

Trauma related practice’ is a phrase increasingly used by public bodies to convey their awareness that many of those with ...
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What is Cerebral Palsy?

Cerebral palsy is a medical condition resulting in disorders of movement because of an injury to the brain. It is ...
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Louise and Fabs run 10k in the Festival of Inclusivity

A huge thank you to Louise Astill and Fabienne Cuthbert, from Fieldfisher for taking part in the Parallel Festival of ...
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cerebra annual conference

Building practical solutions for traumatised families

On 9th July 2024 we jointly held a conference at the University of Leeds, School of Law to explore practical ...
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Family with siblings

New CEO For Cerebra

Jess Camburn is currently the Chief Executive and founder of Elrha, a global organisation that finds solutions to complex humanitarian ...
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Our Library Service Helps Mum Feel Less Isolated

"Archie's favourite things are people, music and sport. If he could choose how to spend a day, he would go ...
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cerebra annual conference

Seminar Review – To Mortality And Beyond

For the June CIDD seminar, we heard from Professor Stuart Todd - Professor in Intellectual Disability research at the University ...
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Cerebra library a child holding some books from the library.

New Books in the Library

Earlier in the year we decided to replace some of our older children’s books with more recent ones and they ...
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Free webinar: Understanding and reducing sleep problems for children with genetic syndromes.

Free lunchtime webinar: Thursday 26th September 12.30pm-2.00pm Sleep problems present a significant challenge for parents and carers of children with ...
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boy in a wheelchair with a carer stood behind him

Improving The Health And Wellbeing Of People With Intellectual Disabilities

Professor Cairns is Director of the Scottish Learning Disabilities Observatory, and Professor of Health and Neurodevelopmental Conditions in the School ...
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Introducing our new Chair of Trustees

‘I am honoured and delighted to have taken up the post of Chair at Cerebra. It’s a real privilege to ...
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Book review: Jayben and the Golden Torch by Thomas Leeds

I have just been on an adventure with Jayben. Where do people go when they have a seizure? Jayben goes ...
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Helping Rajesh Get To School Safely

Meera contacted our Legal Rights Service for help to get school transport for her 5 year old son, Rajesh. Rajesh ...
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Help To Navigate Social Care

John Furlong from our Legal Rights Service explains how we guided and supported Sarah through the complex and traumatic process ...
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School transport, Cerebra help with families of children with brain conditions.

Securing School Transport For Grace

Our Legal Rights Service provides families of children with brain conditions with help when facing difficulties accessing support services they ...
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happy disabled boy painting with his family

Social Care and Parent Carer’s Needs Assessment

Our Legal Rights Service provides families of children with brain conditions with help when facing difficulties accessing support services they ...
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School transport, Cerebra help with families of children with brain conditions.

Updated school transport guidance and the impact on disabled children

This article was co-written by Cerebra, IPSEA, SOS!SEN and Contact. We’ve previously expressed concerns about the Department for Education’s revised ...
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Our Book Library Makes A Big Difference

"I wanted to share my experience of using Cerebra Library and the awesome impact it has had on my family’s ...
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Toys To Entertain Asiya

"Asiya enjoys watching things moving around her and doesn't like the quiet. She enjoys watching other people especially children making ...
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Skylar

Skylar Steps Up to the Challenge!

11 year-old Skylar is taking on a 125,000 steps challenge throughout May. Her Dad, Mark, told us all about why ...
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Your experiences matter

PhD student Louise would like to interview parents who have experience of looking after a child with an acquired brain ...
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Cerebra toy library a child playing with colourful toys.

7 questions to ask when choosing a solicitor for your child’s compensation claim

Cerebra understands that as a parent or carer of a disabled child you might need to seek legal advice for ...
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Diagnostic Overshadowing Webinar Review

A recording of the webinar is now available at the end of this article if you’d like to catch up ...
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63.1 miles and still smiling!

In February, we shared the news that Cerebra supporter, James Atkinson, had set himself the almighty challenge of running his ...
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Cerebra Impact Report 2023

Each year we publish an Impact Report outlining the progress we have made towards achieving our vision of giving every ...
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Nominate a Young Person for the Child of Wales Awards 2024

The awards will recognise and celebrate children and young people who face hardships and challenges every day. Individuals who are ...
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Embracing Complexity: Top 10 Priorities for Research on Neurodivergence

Embrace Complex coalition carried out the Research Priority Setting to identify what areas of research are the most important to ...
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Traumatic Brain Injuries in Children: Causes and Prevention

What is a Traumatic Brain Injury? Traumatic brain injury (‘TBI’) is an injury to the head caused externally by a ...
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Practical, Helpful And Effective Support From Our Sleep Service

“Our daughter Verity is 11 years old. Verity absolutely loves to read and to write her own stories too. She ...
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Does your young boy with cerebral palsy want to be an actor?

'Happy Snaps' is inspired by the writer's brother's real life story. He grew up with cerebral palsy and spent his ...
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Mum with her daughter in a wheelchair

Research Journeys: Breaking down barriers: Access for all

"In identifying the barriers to disability rights implementation we can begin to understand why and how some services are accessible ...
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Cerebra library a child reading books from the library.

Our postal library is as popular as ever!

We have added over 90 new books to the library over the last year on subjects such as autism, PDA, ...
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happy disabled boy painting with his family

Positive Family Connections Report

Our partnership with Centre for Research in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (CIDD) at the University of Warwick focusses on family ...
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Fidgeting Fun For Faith

Mum Louise introduces us to her daughter Faith and explains how borrowing a Fidget Kit from our Toy Library has ...
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positive family connections

Research Into Sibling Relationships

The Cerebra 1000 Families Study is exploring the experiences of families who live with a child with a learning disability ...
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Intrauterine Growth Restriction and neurological injury by Amy Milner

Intrauterine growth restriction – what is it? Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), also called fetal growth restriction (FGR), occurs when a ...
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Legal

A response to the consultation: Reviews of Education, Health and Care plans: proposed timescales

Response to the government's consultation to increase the time a local authority has to issue draft amendments to an EHC ...
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Working Together to Safeguard Children: Changes to Statutory Guidance

Response to the government's consultation proposing changes to Working Together to Safeguard Children guidance which concluded on 6 September 2023. ...
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James and Isabella

Double the Fun for our Next Cerebra Superhero!

We're very excited to welcome James to Team Cerebra! James will be taking on two running challenges to raise money ...
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Legal help Cerebra charity for children brain conditions.

A look at the quality of decision making by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman

In December 2023 the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman published its annual report. A section on internal reviews (1) ...
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Legal

Written evidence submitted by the Legal Entitlements and Problem Solving (LEaP) Project, Cerebra

We have published our evidence to The Education Committee, which is assessing the current system of children's social care in ...
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Dr Hayley Crawford

Dr Hayley Crawford is an Associate Professor at Warwick Medical School and network lead for the Cerebra Network. Alongside Dr ...
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Professor Caroline Richards

Professor Caroline Richards, Professor of Neurodevelopmental Conditions, is a Clinical Psychologist and researcher at the University of Birmingham. Caroline leads ...
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happy disabled boy painting with his family

Dr Jane Waite

Dr Jane Waite is a Senior Lecturer at Aston University and a Clinical Psychologist. As a co-lead for the Cerebra ...
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Dr Jo Moss

Dr Jo Moss is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Surrey. Jo leads the Cerebra Network research in autism, ...
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Survey

Have You Applied for a Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) for your Disabled Child?

This is your chance to feed back your experience of applying for a Disabled Facilities Grant to the government because ...
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Cerebra Sleep Project Study

What is the Cerebra Sleep Project looking at? The study is looking at how sleep difficulties and daytime behaviours interact ...
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boy playing

Can you take part in the Checklist Project research study?

Does your child have a moderate-profound learning disability? The Neurodevelopmental Conditions Research Lab at the University of Warwick and the ...
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What commonly goes wrong to cause types of birth injury and why?

Birth injury statistics Giving birth is not easy and can be a traumatic experience for all, even if things go ...
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Podcasts for Family Carers

If, as a carer you sometimes feel lonely, isolated and that nobody else in the world is going through what ...
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SNAP Cymru presents: From SEN To ALN

From SEN To ALN - Tuesday 23rd January 2024 from 7:00pm until 9:00pm A FREE online event for professionals, parents ...
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a young boy sat at a desk looking at an iPad

SNAP Cymru presents: Mind the Gap!

Mind The Gap  - Wednesday 17th January 2024 from 6:00pm until 9:00pm A FREE online event for professionals, parents and ...
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Working with families to find sleep solutions

Sami explains how his family were able to adapt suggestions from one of our Sleep Practitioners leading to a better ...
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Sleeping boy

Support and understanding from our Sleep Advice Service

Emma introduces us to her son Arthur and explains how our Sleep Advice Service was such a support. Tell us ...
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Without Cerebra’s Sleep Service I don’t know where we’d be

"Without the help of Cerebra’s Sleep Service I don't know where we would be. As a family we were all ...
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Family Trauma: A Broken Care System

The University of Kent's Tizard Centre has been collaborating with the Challenging Behaviour Foundation, which provides support to families who ...
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New Library Books this November

New Books in the Library - November 2023 L7001 - What Works for Autistic Children by Dr Luke Beardon L7002 ...
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Project advisory group

The feasibility and effectiveness of tailored behavioural sleep interventions for children with neurodevelopmental conditions.

Researchers at Aston University are working in partnership with Cerebra to understand how practical and effective behavioural sleep interventions are ...
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Family with siblings

Fabricated or Induced Illness Research Report

The findings of a major research project concerning FII have been published today. This research report considers the prevalence and ...
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Falling to sleep alone and waking in the night

Mum Gabby got in touch to tell us how her three year old son Theodore was not only struggling to ...
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Child crying in a cot

Specific phobia in children with learning disabilities

In this seminar, Professor Kylie Gray presented the findings of the study titled “Specific phobia in children with learning disabilities ...
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Classroom

New Sleep Training Course for Professionals

We are delighted to announce that we will be holding a pilot of our brand new Cerebra Professionals Sleep Training ...
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Our Sleep Service provides a listening ear alongside practical guidance

"Logan came to live with us when he was 2 years and 9 months old. He was diagnosed with autism ...
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Lifestyle interventions during pregnancy improves child neurodevelopment

Structured interventions during pregnancy, such as those centred on a Mediterranean diet or mindfulness-based stress reduction, can improve child neurodevelopment ...
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The Mediterranean diet and maternal stress reduction during pregnancy improve infant neurodevelopment

Interventions based on the Mediterranean diet or mindfulness to reduce stress during pregnancy improve the neurodevelopment of children in the ...
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Buttons and Bubbles: Representation through Imagination

"About a year ago, I had an idea to set up a company and to create a whole brand representing ...
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School transport, Cerebra help with families of children with brain conditions.

School Transport: what will the Department for Education’s updated guidance mean for disabled children and their families?

In June 2023, the Department for Education published the long awaited revised school transport guidance, Travel to school for children ...
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Free webinar: Diagnostic overshadowing

Free webinar: Tuesday 21st November 6.00pm-7.30pm Diagnostic overshadowing presents a significant challenge for parents and carers of children with intellectual ...
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A selection of toys available from cerebra's lending library

Having Fun With Our UV Fun Tub!

Mum Koral introduces us to her daughter Evangelina and explains why our Library Service has made such a difference to ...
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Making the call

Reasons to seek legal advice about a potential claim for compensation for a child with a brain injury or condition ...
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Survey

Autistica is building the Autistica Neurodiversity Employers Index (NDEI)

Autistica are looking for 200 companies who want to review their neurodiversity inclusion practices. You may already be actively championing ...
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Free Wills Month – What does it mean?

Free Wills Month occurs every March and October where participating solicitors will be offering people 55 of over the chance ...
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Independence for Arlo

Two year old Arlo likes going on walks, playing with his blocks and reading books. He is a happy little ...
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Case Management following an acquired brain injury

What is case management? Paediatric Case Management is the planning and coordination of therapeutic, medical, and social care to promote ...
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Finding Calm At Bedtime

Four-year-old B has sensory issues as well as developmental issues, particularly around communication. It was taking B a long time ...
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New kids books in the library

Books in the Library on Sleep

Here's a list of our library books about sleep available to borrow this Sleeptember L6325 – Sleep Disturbances in Children ...
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Toys For Harley To Discover

Mum Lisa got in touch with our Toy Library in the hope of finding some toys that her son Harley ...
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Amelie Is Going Places On Her New Skateboard

Six-year-old Amelie is a bubbly and happy little girl. She loves playing outside and worships her little brother, Arthur. They ...
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An Adapted Camera For Budding Photographer Archer

Mum Amanda explains how our Innovation Centre were able to cleverly adapt a camera so that her son could enjoy ...
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Rhys Makes A Splash With Our Innovative Paddle Board

Teenager Rhys has a rare, progressive genetic condition which affects his extremities and his physical strength. While he has tried ...
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Helping The Whole Family To Play Together

Our son Sam has Angelman Syndrome and needs assistance with all aspects of life. He is developmentally delayed, non-verbal, has ...
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Our Toy Library Brings Excitement And Wonder

Mum Victoria tells us their story: Can you tell us a little about your family? Our twins Charlie and Daisy ...
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a young boy sat at a desk looking at an iPad

Have your say: Reforms to Assessment and Safeguarding procedures

A strong sense of despair and hopelessness comes over me whenever I am asked to respond to (yet another) Government ...
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Brain injury after severe illness and sepsis

Childhood viral and bacterial illnesses are common, and usually are easily treated. Sometimes, however, if the symptoms are left too ...
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apply for research funding from Cerebra

Is all this research actually doing anything?

This post is a summary of the conversation between the researchers and two undergraduate interns hosted by the Centre for ...
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Videos of our Annual Conference are online!

On 14th June 2023, we hosted our in-person conference in Birdcage Walk, Westminster. The conference theme was Barriers to Breakthroughs: ...
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Books in the Library on Pathological Demand Avoidance

The library has been getting a lot of requests to borrow books on Pathological Demand Avoidance in recent months, so ...
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premature baby in an incubator

Exploring the Benefits of Lifestyle Interventions in Pregnancy

Pregnancy is a critical period where the health and wellbeing of both the mother and the developing baby are of ...
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Covid 19 and Digital Inclusion

This seminar, delivered by Dr. Sue Caton, explores the findings of the study titled "Coronavirus and People with Learning Disabilities ...
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Survey

Cerebra and the University of Leeds Continence Survey 2023

Cerebra has frequently received reports from families who have encountered difficulties when trying to access continence supplies for their disabled ...
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Breaking Waves and Breaking Barriers

Cerebra recently helped a New York schoolboy to build one of the first custom adaptable surfboards in the United States! ...
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Hospital Saturday Fund donates to Cerebra at 150th anniversary event

Huge thanks to The Hospital Saturday Fund for their wonderful gift of £4,500 as part of their 150th anniversary celebrations ...
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BBK’s Free ENS Legal Clinic

BBK’s specialist Child Brain Injury solicitors are launching a dedicated and free of charge legal Clinic for parents of babies ...
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We’ve just added some new items to our e-library!

Our BorrowBox library has a selection of e-books and a-audiobooks that parent/carers can borrow to read or listen to and ...
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Advice, Support and Information – A Family Story

“Our son J is three years old. He’s a little firecracker with a vibrant personality and he loves to play ...
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Sleeping boy

Struggling To Get To Sleep With Tourette Syndrome

Our Sleep Advice Service is there to help your child - and you - get a good night's sleep. In ...
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We’ve just added new books to the Library!

New books in the library from May 2023 L6977- Sensory Parenting for Sensory Children by Tanya van Dalen L6978- For ...
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School transport, Cerebra help with families of children with brain conditions.

Advice On Accessing School Transport

Our Legal Rights Service was recently able to help a family to access school transport for their daughter. Mum D ...
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mum putting her daughter to bed

Dealing With Nightmares

“Our son is 11 years old and has Asperger's syndrome. He is an animal lover and seems to know everything ...
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A Good Night’s Sleep Has Transformed Our Family Life

“Annabelle loves being active - running, jumping, climbing, swinging etc. She also loves water, whether it be in a bath ...
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New kids books in the library

Update to our Postal Library List

We have made some improvements to our library book list.  We have made it easier for you to see which ...
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New switch toys in the Cerebra toy library.

Our Library Boosts A Family’s Wellbeing

"Four year old L is an active child who loves trying to climb on things and people (with a bit ...
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Introducing Wizzybug – the fun way to get around for children with physical disabilities

The Wizzybug is an innovative powered wheelchair modelled on the ‘Little Tikes’ car, aimed at younger children with limited mobility ...
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Survey

England: Important Consultation for Disabled Children and Young People

The Government is carrying out a consultation on its vision of how to reform children’s social care in England. This ...
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Wales: Implementation of the ALN Act Extended Until August 2025

On March 20 2023, Jeremy Miles MS, Minister for Education and Welsh Language, issued a written statement announcing that the ...
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What is HIE and how is it linked to Cerebral Palsy?

What is hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE)? Hypoxic Ischaemic Encephalopathy, otherwise known as “HIE”, is a technical term describing brain damage caused ...
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Heroes

Meet our Cerebra Superhero Runners

These amazing Cerebra Superheroes tell us all about why they are running the 2023 London Landmarks Half Marathon for us ...
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Helping Lu and her parents with those sleepless nights

Lu is 3 years and 8 months old and we recently had the pleasure of helping her and parents, Katherine ...
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a woman hugging two small children

Seminar Review – Stigma and People with a Learning Disability

The first CEDAR seminar of 2023 was by Katrina Scior, Professor of Clinical Psychology and Stigma Studies at University College ...
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Book review: Proud to Be Differently Me

Proud to Be Differently Me written and illustrated by Nazryn Nock Rainbow bear loves to play games and dance and sing, ...
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Raising vital funds with ‘Givto’

Back in September 2022 we were thrilled to feature on Givto, a new charity donation service, and raise vital funds. ...
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Bertie Learns How To Sleep On His Own

Mum Chante got in touch with our Sleep Advice Service for some help with her son’s separation anxiety and nightmares ...
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cerebra annual conference

Cerebra Legal Entitlements and Problem-Solving Project Conference

On 18 October 2022, the University of Leeds School of Law hosted the Cerebra Legal Entitlements and Problem-Solving Project Conference: ...
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School transport, Cerebra help with families of children with brain conditions.

Accessing School Transport for Disabled Children – Progress

Local authorities have a duty to make travel arrangements for all eligible children. Cases referred to our Legal Entitlements and ...
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Happy man in meeting

Practical approaches to resolving commonly occurring health and social care difficulties

John Furlong and Derek Tilley work within our Legal Entitlements and Problem-solving Project. They help families to understand what their ...
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Digital Wellbeing Interventions For Family Carers

Joanna Griffin, project lead, family carer and Assistant Professor, CEDAR, introduces a new systematic review of digital wellbeing interventions for ...
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Stacey’s Global Adventure Challenge for Cerebra

Superstar fundraiser, Stacey Bryant from Enable Law recently took on an epic challenge for Cerebra - trekking 90km over 5 ...
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Jingle All The Way!

We were delighted to provide our friends at Chiltern Music Therapy with one of our specially made sensory drums. And ...
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Cerebra webinar review – Fathers of disabled children: supporting their wellbeing

Led by Dr Emma Langley (Assistant Professor, University of Warwick), alongside members of the Fathers Active In Research (FAIR) group ...
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group of young children dressed as superheroes

Thanks for helping us reach our Big Give Christmas Challenge goal!

We just want to say thank you so much to everyone who supported us and contributed towards our Big Give ...
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Classroom

Extending the Precision Teaching Framework

Athanasios (Thanos) Vostanis, Lecturer in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities at the University of Kent, opened the November CEDAR seminar series ...
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Aquatic therapy – the benefits of water-based therapies for children living with disabilities

Laura Cook at CL Medilaw and Dr Heather Epps, Physiotherapist and Director of Aquaepps and Lymden Hydrotherapy and Physiotherapy (LHAP) ...
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Making a Noise!

Mum Emese told us that they lost most of her daughter's toys to smoke damage during a house fire earlier ...
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New Titles in our BorrowBox Library

We've got four new eBooks available free for a limited time in our BorrowBox library! The Reading Agency have recently ...
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Our Engage to Change Champion!

Ffion joined us as a Library Assistant through the Engage to Change Project. We are thrilled that Ffion's enthusiam, passion ...
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Legal

Getting Direct Payments For 1:1 Support

Ben* is 6 years old and has autism, ADHD and epilepsy. His parents have to work long hours and need ...
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Little boy looking anxious.

Protecting vulnerable children during the cost of living crisis

Now is the winter of our discontent. Historically, winter has evoked different reactions in all of us - some of ...
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Welsh Government Publishes ALN Guidance for Parents and Carers

In September 2021, as part of the Special Educational Needs (SEN) reform the Welsh Government began the phased transfer from ...
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An early Christmas present for Henry

You may well remember, back in the spring, we told you all about Henry and the super-lightweight crutches our Innovation ...
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Our Sensory Drums hit all the right notes!

Our Sensory Drums are wooden crafted with patterned sides that allow children to combine different touches and sounds. There's a ...
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A selection of toys available from cerebra's lending library

Mayson Can Play With Toys He Likes

Our son Mayson is two years old. Mayson had a bleed on the brain and as a result had a stroke. ...
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Legal

Challenging Parent Carer Blame

Disabled children and their families are one of the most severely disadvantaged groups in the UK. A major research report ...
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How I overcame my disability to achieve a dream

I’m Paddy. I’m 25 and I’m from a small village in the countryside near Brighton. I was born with a ...
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Family with siblings

1000 Families Study: Relationships And Wellbeing

Caitlin Williams is a Cerebra funded PhD student at the University of Warwick. Her first PhD study used data from ...
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1,000 families study

1000 Families Study – Latest News

The aim of the 1000 Families Study is to explore the wellbeing of children with learning disability, siblings, caregivers, and ...
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Advocating For Disability Rights

Ketevan Khomeriki gives a fascinating insight into her work as a disability rights advocate in Georgia. She explains how being ...
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positive family connections

Positive Family Connections – Latest News

Positive Family Connections is a new online 6 week programme for families who have a child with additional developmental needs ...
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Look at our new selection of library books!

These new books are available to borrow from our library now. Here's the full list: C0425 - People an interactive ...
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Cerebra library a child reading books.

‘Doodle the Poodle’s Big Day Out’ by Melissa Cassidy

A colourful picture book that young children will enjoy. Doodle the Poodle goes out for a walk to his local ...
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A selection of toys available from cerebra's lending library

Elijah Explains How Cerebra Helped Him To Find Toys He Enjoys

Hi, my name is Elijah. I am 3 years old. I have Down syndrome and have an extra chromosome - ...
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Thomas playing with fibre optic lights

Books For Mum And Toys For Thomas

"My son Thomas is 4 years old. He was diagnosed autistic around his 3rd birthday. Thomas also has sensory processing ...
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Older disabled child in wheelchair with mother.

How a Claimant’s Solicitor and Court of Protection Deputies Work Together to Provide a Holistic Approach to Clients

At Pryers Solicitors, as medical negligence and personal injury specialists, we unfortunately see many clients who have suffered some form ...
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Cerebra library a child reading books.

Book Review: ‘Employing Care Staff in Your Home’ by Cecily Lalloo

Amongst the scariest challenges of caring for your disabled child at home is employing people to help you.  Yes you ...
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Little boy looking anxious.

What does anxiety look like?

Dr Hayley Crawford began the June CEDAR seminar by highlighting that autistic people and people with intellectual disabilities are at ...
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a young boy sat at a desk looking at an iPad

A response to the SEND Review: Right support, right place, right time.

This is our response to the SEND Review: Right support, right place, right time. This response is prepared on behalf ...
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How rehabilitation and support can help a child with an acquired brain injury to flourish and reach their potential

My team and I are both proud and privileged to act for the most amazing, brave and courageous clients - children ...
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share your story

Dr Caitlin Murray – The Importance Of Family Research

My name is Dr Caitlin Murray and I am a Research Fellow in CEDAR at the University of Warwick. I ...
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happy disabled boy painting with his family

Dr Joanna Griffin – Involving Family Carers in Research

My name is Dr Joanna Griffin and I am a parent carer, Counselling Psychologist, and an Assistant Professor in CEDAR, ...
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Legal Entitlements and Problem-Solving (LEaP) Project Cerebra

Dr Paul Thompson – Applying Statistical Methodology To Real World Problems

My name is Dr Paul Thompson, and I am a Research Fellow in Applied Statistics in CEDAR at the University ...
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Dr Samantha Flynn – Research That Has Positive Impact For People With Learning Disabilities

My name is Dr Samantha Flynn and I am an Assistant Professor in CEDAR at the University of Warwick. I ...
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Survey

Cerebra and the University of Leeds FII (Fabricated or Induced Illness) Survey

Cerebra has become increasingly concerned over recent years with an apparent rise in reports from families with disabled children which ...
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championing mental health

Draft Mental Health Bill published: Here’s a Potential Health Warning

The Government published the long awaited Draft Mental Health Bill on 27 June 2022 which applies to England and Wales. ...
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Cerebra the charity for children with brain conditions-research work

The Health, Healthcare And Wellbeing Of Adults With Intellectual Disabilities

Tammy Rutter The dedication of Professor Mary McCarron and her team to inclusive research which brings about meaningful change for ...
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Cerebra Annual Conference

Wednesday 14th June 2023, 9.30 - 16:30 One Birdcage Walk, Westminster, London, SW1H 9JJ This one-day conference will host talks ...
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New books for adults

New Books for Adults in our Library

We have a range of new books aimed at adults that you can now borrow from our postal library. L6929 ...
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New kids books in the library

New Books in our Library for Children

We have some new children's books available for you to borrow from our library: C0396 - Thriving with ADHD: workbook ...
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‘The Autistic Side of Love’ by Samuel Turner

We are so thrilled that Samuel Turner has added to his achievements by writing a book.  Samuel has volunteered for ...
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Superhero fundraiser completes epic 360-mile cycle challenge for Cerebra in just 3 days!

You will recall earlier in 2022 we introduced Swifty, from PCB Radio based in Worcester, who called us up to ...
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boy in a wheelchair with a carer stood behind him

PVL and the link to Cerebral Palsy

PVL - what is it?  Periventricular Leukomalacia, commonly referred to as PVL, is a form of injury to the white ...
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happy disabled boy painting with his family

Acquired Brain Injury and Litigation

Common causes of brain injury Sometimes a child sustains a brain injury at birth or because of a medical reason, ...
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Little girl with paint on her hands.

Introducing Cerebra PhD Student Lauren Jenner

Lauren Jenner is a PhD student at the University of Surrey using novel methodologies to understand social abilities and autism ...
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School attendance in children with neurodevelopmental conditions one year after COVID-19

Emma Taylor Associate Professor Dr Vaso Totsika opened her CEDAR Seminar Series talk by explaining how, before COVID-19, rates of ...
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Cerebra library a child holding some books from the library.

Giving You The Information Your Family Needs

"My daughter is nearly 12 years old and we suspect she may have autism. We have just completed documentation for ...
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Cerebra what we do the charity for children with brain conditions.

Our response to the publication of The Independent Review of Children’s Social Care in England

In a sense, Josh MacAlister’s independent review of children’s social care was always going to disappoint. Billed as a “wide-ranging, ...
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Wales: update on the transition from the SEN to the ALN system

The Welsh Government has recently issued two written ministerial statements updating the phased transition from the special education needs (SEN) ...
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Classroom

Disabled Children and the Equality Act 2010: What teachers need to know and what schools need to do

Schools have a range of duties under the Equality Act 2010: to staff, as employees; to parents and others, where ...
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New report launched: Investing in early intervention

Too often children with learning disabilities and their families are unable to access the early years support and services they ...
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a woman hugging two small children

Loneliness and Parent Carer Mental Health

In addition to the Covid pandemic, there is another pandemic that has gained greater prominence lately; that of loneliness. It is ...
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A Parent Carer Perspective Of Loneliness

When our son was born back in 2006, we envisaged a similar parental journey to that of our two older ...
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Understanding atypical patterns of autism in individuals with genetic syndromes associated with intellectual disability

Dr Jo Moss, Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Surrey, opened the February CEDAR seminar by sharing a story ...
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boy playing

Introducing Cerebra PhD Student Rory O’Sullivan

Rory O’Sullivan is a PhD student at the University of Birmingham. As part of The Cerebra Network he is leading ...
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So Many Books And Toys – It’s Amazing!

“Ezra has global development delay and is on the pathway to an Autism diagnosis. Ezra struggles with social, communication difficulties ...
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Our Toy Library Brings Fun Right To Your Door!

“Evan will be 5 in May and has been receiving toys on loan since 2018 when he was around 1 ...
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joe playing with sensory equipment

How Our Library Helped Joe

Joe's mum Sophie explains how our free book and toy library have improved her family's life. "Joe is 4, he's ...
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henry, smiling at the camera

Something Super-Light and Super-Strong for Superstar, Henry!

Henry, from Midsomer Norton in Somerset is 9 and a ¼ although, as a massive Harry Potter fan, he will ...
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Image of Emma and Joshua

Emma, Joshua And The Challenges Of Epilepsy

Joshua had a stroke at birth and as a result suffered ‘devastating brain damage’. When we finally got home from ...
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Cerebra library a child holding some books from the library.

Recommendations for Books on Autism in the Library

If I’m asked by parents which books do I think they should read to start with, I suggest one of ...
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Little boy looking through books, borrow ebooks from Cerebra.

Epilepsy Books in the Library

Books in the library on Epilepsy for parent carers Complex Childhood Epilepsy a Parents Handbook by Nina Solomon Published 2010 ...
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a Cerebra Superhero running the London Landmarks Half Marathon

Introducing some of our Superhero runners

Get to know our runners and a bit more about why they chose to run for us Sam Hitchcock I’m ...
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Book Review: ‘Hydrocephalus: What I Wish I’d Known’ by Harry’s HAT

When you get a diagnosis, you can feel like you’re the only family going through it. How great to find ...
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Introducing Cerebra PhD Student Jessica Mingins

Jessica Mingins is a PhD student at Aston University, her Cerebra funded research is improving our understanding and assessment of ...
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Positive Family Connections – Take Part

We are inviting family carers of a child with a learning disability, autism, or both aged 8-13 years to take ...
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a mum kissing her newborn baby

Lifestyle Interventions in Pregnancy

Most women thinking about having a baby know that they need to make lifestyle changes before and while they are ...
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The long road ahead for Cerebra Superhero fundraiser

On Friday 20th May 2022, PCB Radio DJ, Chris ‘Swifty’ Morgan will be cycling the whole of the A38 for ...
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The Be-Well Checklist

Today we are publishing the innovative Be-Well Checklist designed to help parents, carers and professionals improve the well-being of people ...
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happy disabled boy painting with his family

Positive Family Connections

Joanna Griffin, parent carer, counselling psychologist and Assistant Professor at the University of Warwick discusses the value of co-production and ...
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boy playing

Playing with your child for research

Watch Me Play! involves the parent watching their child play for about 20 minutes a couple of times a week. ...
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Family with siblings

Property ownership and Children – recognising the financial investment of others

Introduction The legal ownership of the 'Family Home' of a Child who has received a Personal Injury award can sometimes ...
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Caitlin Williams – 1000 Families Study

My name is Caitlin Williams and I’m a second year PhD student at the University of Warwick. My PhD research ...
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Transitioning from School to Further Education

Moving from a school setting into further education is a difficult decision for any young person. However, for people with ...
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Helping Lucian with sleepless nights and his sensory needs

7-year-old Lucian is a happy and bubbly young boy who gets on so well with others and loves being outdoors. ...
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a mum kissing her newborn baby

Mediterranean diet or mindfulness during pregnancy reduces by one third the risk of a low birth weight baby

A clinical trial for pregnant women at high risk of a low birth weight baby demonstrates for the first time ...
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Happy 20th Birthday Cerebra!

“I have many different emotions when I let it sink in that we are celebrating Cerebra’s 20th birthday. No different ...
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Betsy

Variety, Smiles And Fun With Our Toy Library

Sarah explains how our toy library has helped her daughter Betsy to have fun and variety in her life. “Betsy ...
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a young boy sat at a desk looking at an iPad

Assistive Technology – enhancing independence for children living with brain conditions

“For people without disabilities, technology makes things easier. For people with disabilities, technology makes things possible.” IBM Training Manual, 1991. ...
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premature baby

Prematurity

For most mothers pregnancy is a safe and straightforward process but for 1 in 5 unexpected complications can occur and ...
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Family who needed help with the DLA.

Daniel Sutherland – Positive Family Connections

My name is Daniel Sutherland, and I am doing a PhD at the University of Warwick funded by Cerebra. My ...
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a mother holding her child on a space hopper

Cerebra will be delivering our Accessing Public Services Toolkit Workshop

We're delighted to announces that Cerebra will be delivering our Accessing Public Services Toolkit Workshop on Monday 13th December 2021. ...
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apply for research funding from Cerebra

Educational Tribunal Appeals in Wales: Which website do I need – SENTW or ETW?

On 1 September 2021 the law about children with learning difficulties and disabilities living in Wales changed as the old special ...
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School And Mental Health – Survey

Our PhD student Lowri O'Donovan has put together a survey for parents of children with rare genetic conditions. Working with ...
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Family with siblings

A Model For Early Years Family Intervention Supports

A model for Early Years family intervention supports for children with global developmental delay/ emerging learning disabilities in Wales: professional ...
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David playing with sensory toys

Sleeping, Playing and Learning

David is almost two years old and is a happy little boy who loves books, toy trains and going on ...
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happy family on a beach

Planning your Child’s Future: Transitioning from Child to Adult

Planning your Child’s Future: Transitioning from Child to Adult The days are long, but the years are short. Words that ...
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Watch Me Play!

Are you interested in taking part in a Watch Me Play! study? Watch Me Play! is a programme for parents ...
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Louise takes on Marathon Challenge for Cerebra

Louise Astill, a solicitor from CL Medilaw, a firm specialising in medical negligence and serious injuries, is gearing up to ...
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Back to Basics: Parent Child Relationships in Families with Children who have Typical and Atypical Development

Professor Carlo Schuengel opened his CEDAR seminar series talk by reflecting on the pandemic and what a special time it ...
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Teddy with his oxy-gem

Teddy is Going Places with his Oxy-gem!

Teddy was born healthy and well, although he suffered with what we thought was terrible reflux. When he was a ...
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Cerebra awarded Association of Medical Research Charities membership

Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC) - Cerebra Membership The Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC) is a membership organisation ...
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Family

Wales: Code of Practice on the Delivery of Autism Services

The Welsh Government has issued a Code of Practice on the Delivery of Autism Services (CoP) and accompanying supporting guidance ...
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Transition to Employment Toolkit for Autistic Young People

Ambitious about Autism have launched a new toolkit to support autistic young people moving into the workplace. The organisation explains ...
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Classroom

Wales: Changes to the Transfer Timetable for Moving from the Special Educational System to the New Additional Learning Needs System

On 14 July 2021, Jeremy Miles, Minister for Education and the Welsh Language issued a written statement explaining that the ...
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England Publishes a New National Strategy for Autistic Children, Young People and Adults

On 21 July 2021 the government published a new national strategy for improving the lives of autistic people and their ...
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Legal help Cerebra charity for children brain conditions.

Extended Powers SEND Tribunal National Trial to Continue

On 20 July 2021, the Department for Education confirmed the extended powers given to the special educational needs and disability ...
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smiling teenage boy with a disability

Institutionalising Parent-carer Blame

Disabled children and their families are one of the most severely disadvantaged groups in the UK. A major research report ...
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Welcome To Our Newest Recruit

We are delighted to welcome Ffion Parsons as the newest member of our team. Ffion, from Carmarthen, has joined us ...
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Cerebra library a child reading books from the library.

‘Day by Day’ by Joanna Griffin – Book Review

‘Day by Day: emotional wellbeing in parents of disabled children’ If you're struggling with the emotional turmoil of being the ...
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Can an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) help my child after a brain injury?

Can an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) help my child after a brain injury? If your child has a ...
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A Second Chance

We recently had the pleasure of being contacted by Joey, a 16-year-old from Northern Ireland whose life was turned upside ...
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A selection of toys available from cerebra's lending library

Try Before You Buy With Our Sensory Toy Library

Our specialist postal library contains a wide range of books for both adults and children and a selection of toys ...
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Oxy-gem

Pobl Trust Fund Innovation Centre Materials

Pobl Trust is the registered charity of Pobl Group – a not-for-profit based in Newport which is aiming to make ...
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Image of Danielle Adams

“My cheeks get red and my brain gets scared” – learning about anxiety in children with autism

Associate Professor, Dawn Adams, began her CEDAR Seminar Series talk by highlighting her research focus on autism and anxiety and ...
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apply for research funding from Cerebra

Cerebra Network Launch a Success

The Cerebra Network recently held a virtual event to celebrate the launch of their new dynamic network of researchers. The ...
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Smart wheel

Design to Change Competition Winners

Bolt Burdon Kemp have announced the winners of their Design the Change competition. The competition, which is now in its ...
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championing mental health

Cerebra Network Launch Event

The Cerebra Network will expand upon the work of the Cerebra Centre, which was led by Professor Chris Oliver and ...
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Early therapeutic intervention for acquired brain injury

Many parents feel frightened and overwhelmed when they learn that their baby has sustained an irreversible brain injury. They are ...
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Going the Extra Mile for Cerebra!

The London Landmarks Half Marathon takes place on 1st August and we caught up with one of our superhero runners, ...
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Charlie with his certificate from Cerebra

Charlie Is Flavour Of The Month

Charlie Nine year old Charlie from Surrey decided to put his baking skills to the test in order to help ...
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Emily Nicole

YouTube Sensation Becomes Cerebra Ambassador

We are delighted to announce that YouTube sensation, Emily Nicole Roberts has become a Cerebra Ambassador. Emily, 22 from South ...
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Sensory Pod Chairs Project Underway Thanks To Nationwide Donation

We would like to say a huge thanks to Nationwide and particularly their team at the Rotherham branch for their ...
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Disabled Facilities Grants – One Family’s Story

One mum tells us why her autistic son belongs at home and how a Disabled Facilities Grant made it possible. ...
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Hatice Gundeslioglu and Wenyuan Liu

The Hidden Face of Autism

Wenyuan Liu Professor Mandy opened the seminar with some general thoughts about autism, particularly the history and changes in how ...
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Having to be your child’s voice when you don’t know what questions to ask

Enable Law take a look at having to be your child's voice when you don't know what questions to ask. ...
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Sleeping boy

Sleep Advice: Chronotherapy and Phased Advancement

Sarah got in touch with our Sleep Service at a point when she felt that her family had run out ...
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Classroom

Wales: Additional Learning Needs Code and Regulations Approved

The SEN/ALN forms passed a new milestone when the ALN Code and regulations were approved by the Senedd on 23 March. ...
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Lowri

Our Knowledge Transfer Project (Mental Health) Identified As Good Practice

Genetic Alliance UK has published the final report on the Cross Party Group on Rare, Genetic & Undiagnosed Conditions highlighting ...
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Student Group Photo

Law Students Investigate Social Needs Assessments

The Cerebra Legal Entitlements and Problem-Solving (LEaP) project is innovative and helps families of children with brain conditions cope with ...
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A History of Controversies over the treatment of autism with behavioural therapies

Nikita Hayden Milana Aronov opened her CEDAR Seminar Series talk by highlighting how relatively under-explored autism is in the humanities. ...
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henry and his trailer

A unique set of wheels for 3-year-old Henry

A bike trailer created by our Innovation Centre at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) has given a young ...
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Preventing Pregnancy Complications #IWD21

At the University of Barcelona we meet two Elisenda’s whose work tries to identify deviations in foetal brain development as ...
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championing mental health

Championing Mental Health #IWD21

Research shows that children with rare genetic disorders often struggle with their mental health. Yet families have trouble finding helpful ...
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Cerebra Women Making A Difference #IWD21

As part of our International Women’s Day campaign we are catching up with some of the women researchers that are ...
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Emily Nicole

Growing up with CP – Becoming a Youtube Sensation!

Growing up, Emily never felt as though any of the people she saw in the media represented her and knew ...
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The Hoyle family

This Is Our Family

Earlier this year Sky Atlantic broadcast the documentary ‘This Is Our Family’ which took three years to film and followed ...
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Legal help Cerebra charity for children brain conditions.

LEaP Project Recognises Exceptional Contribution Of Students

The Caroline Gooding Memorial Lecture is an annual event in memory of Caroline Gooding’s pivotal role in conceptualising a rights-based ...
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Family

COVID-19 Guide for Carers and Family Supporting Adults and Children with Learning Disabilities

The Social Care Institute for Excellence has produced a new guide to help family members and carers living with and ...
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New CIC walker

Libby is going places with her new Walker!

We wanted to share some wonderful footage of Libby receiving a surprise gift from our Innovation Centre! At just 18 ...
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Learning at Home with our Library

Cerebra’s postal library service is still open during the lockdown. While the kids are at home and you are home ...
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Legal help Cerebra charity for children brain conditions.

Practical Tips for Effectively Accessing Public Services for your Disabled Child

Unfortunately many families struggle to access the education, social and health services for their children that they are legally entitled ...
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Zoom meeting

Public Health Wales looking for Two Patient and Public Involvement Members

Public Health Wales are looking for two Patient and Public Involvement members for a research project briefly outlined below: Public ...
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Clinical Criteria For Diagnosing Autism Inadequate For People With Genetic Conditions, Research Suggests

People with certain genetic conditions are likely to have significant symptoms of autism, even if they do not meet all ...
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Christmas Sleep Tips

During the Christmas break the change in routine and dark, colder nights can often make sleep difficult. It can be ...
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An Update On Judith And Rose’s Sleep Story

Earlier this year Judith got in touch to tell us how our Sleep Service had given her the advice and ...
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Telephone

Our Fundraisers And Supporters Rise To The Challenge

There's no doubt that we would be unable to continue our vital work to help families discover a better life ...
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Legal

Update on the powers of a property and financial affairs Deputy

A recent case in the Court of Protection[i] has given property and financial affairs Deputies clarity about the extent of ...
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Our Research Helps Families To Get A Good Night’s Sleep

We know that sleep affects every single aspect of our waking lives – our mood, behaviour, physical and mental well-being, ...
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Barney's Christmas-a-thon

Barney’s Christmas-a-thon

Seven year old Barney is doing something amazing this Christmas – a Christmas-a-thon! What’s a Christmas-a-thon you ask? During December, ...
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Brain injury at birth guide for parents

Being a new parent involves a huge learning curve but when you are told something is wrong with your baby ...
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Classroom

England: Updated Guidance for Opening of Special Schools

The guidance for the full opening of special schools and other specialist settings was updated on 20 November. The update ...
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Family with siblings

Useful Resources from the Council for Disabled Children

Amongst the many useful resources parents of disabled children can find on the Council for Disabled Children’s (CDC) website we ...
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Wales: Update on the Additional Learning Needs System

The Welsh Government issued the following update below on 25 November: The Senedd yesterday approved the ‘Draft: Additional Learning Needs ...
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Our new look Oxygems are ready to roll!

Cerebra’s Oxygems, designed and built by our Innovation Centre, have made a big difference to the lives of children all ...
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anthea wright

A Fond Farewell To Anthea

We've said a fond farewell to one of Cerebra's longest serving members of staff – Anthea Wright who retired last ...
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Embracing Complexity Through Art And Science

Dr Sam Chawner from Cardiff University has teamed up with Phenotypica, an art and science initiative by scientist Ben Murray ...
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Letter writing

Mental Capacity – Trustee, Attorney, Appointee or Deputy?

If you're the parent or guardian of a child that is expected to lack capacity as an adult, it can ...
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Difficulty sleeping

Useful Children and Young People Mental Health Resources

Navigating the children and young people’s mental health system can be very daunting but the following resources could be very ...
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Mental Health Support For You And Your Family

Whether it’s being able to spot the signs of anxiety and pain in a child with complex needs or looking ...
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Books on Mental Health in our Library

Mental Health Library books for Adults A Practical Guide to Mental Health Problems in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder by ...
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Improving Mental Health Support in Schools for Children With Rare Conditions

Lowri is our Knowledge Transfer Project Mental Health Research Associate. She explains about a visual map that was created following ...
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Classroom

England: New and Updated Government Covid-19 Guidance

Since the start of the epidemic the Government has produced a significant amount of guidance for schools, social services and ...
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Wales: Consultation on the Delivery of Autism Services

The Welsh Government has launched a consultation on a code of practice dedicated to the delivery of autism services in ...
Read More
Letter writing

England: New and Updated Government Covid-19 Guidance

Since the start of the epidemic the Government has produced a significant amount of guidance for schools, social services and ...
Read More
Classroom

England: New and Updated Government Covid-19 Guidance

Since the start of the epidemic the Government has produced a significant amount of guidance for schools, social services and ...
Read More
Letter writing

Wales: ALN Code Delayed

As part of the Welsh Government’s ongoing special educational needs reform which resulted in the passing of the Additional Learning ...
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School transport, Cerebra help with families of children with brain conditions.

Wales: School Transport Review Extended to 0-4 Year-Olds and Mileage Thresholds

Local authorities in Wales must make free travel arrangements for eligible children of compulsory school age, that is to say ...
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Trainers

Top 5 Tips to Help you Become a Savvy Stepper

We recently launched our new campaign where we're asking you to Step Up for Cerebra. As part of the challenge, ...
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Loneliness When Parenting a Child with Complex Needs

Mum Jessica Barker explains how her family experience led her to develop a friend finding app for parents and carers ...
Read More
Letter writing

England: New and Updated Government Covid-19 Guidance

Since the start of the epidemic the Government has produced a significant amount of guidance for schools, social services and ...
Read More
Classroom

Mental Health and Wellbeing Toolkit for Primary Schools

As schools prepare for children and young people to return in September, supporting and prioritising mental health and wellbeing will ...
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Legal and financial help Cerebra charity for children brain conditions.

The Lessons We’ve Learned From Covid

Our Legal Rights Service provides families of children with brain conditions with help when facing difficulties accessing support services they ...
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Survey

Two Covid-19 Research Projects Looking For Families To Take Part

Two organisations are looking for your opinions about support during lockdown. The National Children’s Bureau are looking for families, including ...
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little girl wearing a bright coloured visor

Keeping Children With Brain Conditions Safe

We are working on a special project to keep children safe as schools get set to re-open. Our Swansea based ...
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School transport, Cerebra help with families of children with brain conditions.

England: Additional Transport Guidance to Educational settings from the Autumn Term

The Government published additional guidance on 11 August regarding transport to schools and other educational settings which comes into force ...
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Legal Entitlements and Problem-Solving (LEaP) Project Cerebra

England: New and Updated Government Covid-19 Guidance

Since the start of the epidemic the Government has produced a significant amount of guidance for schools, social services and ...
Read More
Family

Learning Your Child Has Cerebral Palsy – What Next?

Through years of representing inspirational children with brain injuries and working with their amazing families, I understand that in the ...
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Survey

Appeal To Parent Support Groups To Participate In Our Children’s Services Assessment Survey

Cerebra’s Legal Entitlement and Problem-solving Project (LEaP) is carrying out a research project with Professor Luke Clements, Cerebra Professor of ...
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Cerebra library a child reading books.

Getting Back To Normal At Our Library

We are pleased to announce that our postal book library has reopened.  As usual, you can borrow two books at ...
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the leap team

Unlawful restrictions on the rights of disabled children with autism to social care needs assessments

Autism is classed as a disability and all children with disabilities have a right to an assessment of their needs. ...
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Legal

41 Local Authorities are unlawfully discriminating against autistic children

According to a report published today by Disability Law Service, Leeds University, Cerebra and the BBC, at least 41 Councils ...
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Little boy looking anxious.

Child Mental Health: Resources To Help Young People

The Coronavirus pandemic has caused significant and sudden change to our daily lives. Statistics show that this has caused a ...
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Family

Autism: A Lack of Social Care Support

We recently published a post asking families in the Yorkshire area to get in contact if their child with autism ...
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Letter writing

Welsh Government Seeks Your Views On How Wales Should Develop Post-Covid

The Welsh Government has launched a national conversation with the people of Wales on how it “should support future post-Covid ...
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carmela and her ice cream holder

Ice-cream Delight For Carmela

Enjoying an ice cream on a hot summer day is something most of us take for granted. For six year ...
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Letter writing

Department for Education to reintroduce full Education, Health and Care Plan Support

In May, the Government implemented temporary law changes regarding Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCP) as a result of the ...
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Legal

SEN Tribunal in Wales issues directions on electronic submission of paperwork

The Special Educational Needs Tribunal for Wales (SENTW) is continuing to hear cases during the coronavirus pandemic but in virtual ...
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Family with siblings

Follow-up: Your experiences of Obtaining a Parent Carer Needs Assessment

Last month we published an article where our LEaP Project asked you for your personal experiences of obtaining a Parent ...
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Legal Entitlements and Problem-Solving (LEaP) Project Cerebra

Our Legal Rights Service Helps Family With Parent Carer Needs Assessment

Elena got in touch with our Legal Rights Service after her local authority (LA) repeatedly refused to undertake a standalone ...
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Boy with a female carer, smiling.

Cerebra Funding for The Cerebra Network for Neurodevelopmental Disorders

We are delighted to announce £829,000 of funding for the Cerebra Network for Neurodevelopmental Disorders. Tracy Elliott, Head of Research ...
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Family with siblings

Autism and Lack of Social Care Support – Can You Help?

Our Legal Entitlements and Problem Solving Project (LEaP) is looking for a family in the Yorkshire area to be interviewed ...
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smiling little boy who got a good night's sleep thanks to the cerebra sleep service

Bedtime Settling and Night Time Waking

Cathy and her family were all struggling with the impact of her son's inability to settle at bedtime and his ...
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Visors designed by CIC

Cerebra’s Innovation Centre supplies child friendly visors to schools

Lock down has meant that our Innovation Centre staff have been unable to work on their regular projects so they ...
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Education - Cerebra charity for children with brain conditions

Update on Schools in England and Wales

The Government has removed plans for primary school children in England to return to school before the end of the ...
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Family with siblings

Cerebra Family Research Group End Of Grant Report

The Cerebra Family Research Group has released its End of Grant Report outlining the focus of their work well as ...
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University of Leeds LEaP students and staff.

Delivering Legal Rights End of Grant Report

The School of Law at the University of Leeds has published its end of grant report summarising the achievements of ...
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Family

How a Brain Injury can Affect your Child’s Education

Laxmi Patel, Partner and Head of Education at Boyes Turner takes a look at how a brain injury can affect ...
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Legal help Cerebra charity for children brain conditions.

Guidance in England for Returning to School

The following information relates to England only. It does not apply to Wales. In England, the Prime Minister has announced ...
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Enna Thea and Iris

School Friends Hit the Road in Aid of Families and Carers

It was around five years ago when we first met Enna Thea and her mum, Catherine when they contacted our ...
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little girl in shopping trolley give as you shop

Open Letter To Supermarkets

We know that supermarkets are doing their best to keep the public safe during this really difficult time. But we’re ...
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Sleep advice service emotional and mental health Cerebra.

Double Success For Deborah

Kaileigh, who is one of our Sleep Practitioners recently helped Deborah and her daughter Olivia who was experiencing anxiety at ...
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cic delivering visors to a care home

500 Face Visors for Care Homes

Our Innovation Centre team have been pulling out all the stops to help support frontline workers during the Coronavirus  outbreak. ...
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Samuel Turner collecting a cheque from Co Op

Mental Health Awareness Week – Kindness Matters

Samuel Turner is a young man with a passion for supporting Cerebra.  His achievements are all the more remarkable as ...
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Lowri Mental Health Awareness Week

Lowri on Mental Health Awareness Week

This week we celebrate Mental Health Awareness week, the theme of which this year, is Kindness. What is Kindness? Kindness ...
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Letter writing

Parent Carers Needs Assessments

Our Legal Entitlements and Problem-Solving (LEaP) Project has received a request from a parent explaining that her local authority has ...
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Family

‘Vulnerable’ Does Not Mean ‘at Risk of Harm’

Since the start of the Coronavirus pandemic, we have heard people who are more likely to be ‘at risk’ by ...
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Letter writing

Guidance for Councils and Care Providers During the Coronavirus Crisis

Back in March, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) suspended all casework activity that demands information from, or ...
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Legal

Legal Team Shortlisted for Prestigious Award

Supported by the Attorney General, the LawWorks awards celebrate the best pro bono activities undertaken by law students and law ...
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Boy with a female carer, smiling.

One Family’s Experience of a ‘Child in Need’ Assessment

In England and Wales, local authorities are under a duty to assess the social care needs of children who meet ...
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smiling teenage boy with a disability

Children’s Services Duties ‘Relaxed’ in England but not in Wales

England A new set of regulations came into force in England on Friday 23 April which have controversially relaxed some ...
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CIC with visors

Face Mask Update From CIC

"Hi Everyone, I hope you are all well and still coping with the lockdown! I will freely admit, it has ...
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Family with siblings

Welsh Government Issues New Guidance

On 21 April the Welsh Government issued new guidance on how children’s services should operate during the Covid-19 outbreak. The ...
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Letter writing

Direct Payments and Prepaid Cards Success for LEaP Project

Sophie, our LEaP Project co-ordinator, explains how we helped families with disabled children in one particular English local authority. The ...
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Heroes

Do Something Fun and out of the Ordinary – Join the 2.6 Challenge!

Cerebra, like many charities across the country, have had to put a lot of fundraising plans on hold and with ...
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Child reading an ebook.

New Items Available from our BorrowBox Library

As we aren’t able to send books out at the moment, we have just added lots of new titles to ...
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Legal

Disabled Facilities Grant Ruling

In a judgment released on 2 April 2020, the High Court ruled that when processing an application for a disabled ...
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Cerebra funded research at the University of Birmingham

The Cerebra Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders (CCND) is headed by Professor Chris Oliver and is based in the School of ...
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Children's art

Let’s get Artistic Together!

It’s a very difficult and uncertain time at the moment. The Coronavirus pandemic has effected all of us in some ...
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rose smiling on a set of swings

How our Sleep Service helps – Judith’s story

Our family “Our fifteen year old daughter, Rose, has an underdeveloped cerebellum. This affects her muscle coordination, which in turn ...
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Legal

Legal Handbook for Families Launched

Legal Action Group has published its 3rd edition of Disabled Children: A legal handbook and is currently offering a 20% ...
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Trainers

Change in Lock Down Exercise Guidance for People With Health Conditions

On 23 March 2020 the Prime Minister announced that all citizens were only allowed to leave where they were living ...
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Coronavirus protection

CIC Helps Create Protective Equipment for NHS Staff

Hi Cerebra family! I do hope you have all been coping well during lock down. I can tell you, in ...
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Legal

We Back Campaign for Coronavirus Act Review

The Coronavirus Act 2020 worryingly relieves local authorities in England and Wales of their duties to provide crucial care and ...
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Factsheet: Complaints, Public Bodies and Government Guidance

The law that parents of disabled children and their supporters may have to deal with can be very complicated. We ...
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Audiobooks

Sources of Free e-books and audiobooks

Cerebra’s digital library focuses on neurological conditions, but there are plenty of other ways to get free e-books and audiobooks ...
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Legal

Coronavirus Act: an Overview for England and Wales

By now you will probably be aware of the Coronavirus Act 2020 (The Act) and its potential impact on social ...
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Child reading an ebook.

Changes to our Library Service

Sadly, due to the current situation we have had to suspend the book and toy library for the time-being. We ...
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dr ross head works from home with his pet chickens

Lockdown Lowdown from CIC

Okay, so here I go with my first ever blog - and what a time to start! So, we all ...
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Getting school transport for your disabled child

In October 2019, Margaret contacted our LEaP Project to thank us for the information within our to School Transport Guide ...
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we're still here for you

Cerebra and COVID-19

Despite the disruption caused by the current COVID-19 pandemic we would like to reassure you that Cerebra is still operational ...
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smiling teenage boy with a disability

Personal Independence Payments (PIP) Signposting

Disability Living Allowance for people aged 16-64 has been replaced by Personal Independence Payments (PIP). This means that if your ...
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Helping Layla get a good night’s sleep

Because of her condition, Layla is also unable to communicate so she can’t explain how she is feeling or tell ...
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An ‘Awesome and Wobbly’ time in aid of Cerebra

On Tuesday 3 March, Leigh Day organised ‘Awesome and Wobbly’ - an incredible evening of music and comedy, all in ...
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New campaign to recruit Everyday Superheroes

More than 500,000 children in the UK have a brain condition, such as autism, and fight challenges every day when ...
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New books in our library

We have received £1000 to spend on specialist books for our postal lending library. This was kindly donated to us ...
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Project advisory group

Join our Project Advisory Group

Join our Project Advisory Group to help us improve mental health services for children with rare genetic developmental conditions. Background ...
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Ethan and his CIC fish tank

Great Feedback for our CIC Fish Tank

Our Innovation Centre (CIC) were extremely busy before Christmas getting some of their sensory fish tanks out to lucky families. ...
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School transport, Cerebra help with families of children with brain conditions.

New Mythbusters Available Now

We have a a new range of factsheets called mythbusters available to download now. These aim to dispel common misconceptions ...
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Lloyd Morgan of Rockadove and Ross Head from CIC

Rockadove Help us with Video Campaign

We are delighted to have been named the winners of the inaugural Third Sector prize which is a partnership between ...
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An Introduction to Sophie and Legal Entitlements

Sophie after running the Cardiff Half Marathon Hi- I’m Sophie and I’m the Legal Entitlements and Problem Solving (LEaP) Project ...
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Boy with a female carer, smiling.

Lisa on Becoming a Family Research Ambassador

Lisa is one of our Family Research Ambassadors. She explains why she got involved and what she does as part ...
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Cerebra library a child reading books from the library.

Books in the Library About Giving Birth to a Child with a Disability

General books L6316   Celebrating and Caring for your Baby with Special Needs: uplifting tips and advice to help you through ...
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Graeme and Angus

Born too soon: Claire’s Story

We were going home to enjoy Christmas. I couldn't have imagined for a second what was about to happen... Claire ...
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Girl receiving physio

Implementation of the Welsh SEN/ALN Reform Postponed

Kirsty Williams, Minister for Education, has issued a written statement postponing the roll out of the new special educational needs ...
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Legal help Cerebra charity for children brain conditions.

Legal Entitlements and Problem Solving Conference

We are holding a conference on "Legal Entitlements and Problem Solving for Disabled People, their Families and Carers". 19 November ...
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Boy with a female carer, smiling.

Local Government Ombudsman Report on SEND in England

In a new report released on 04 October and called Not going to plan? – Education, Health and Care plans ...
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Joshua sat on the beack

Joshua’s Transition Part 4 – Direct Payments

This is part 4 in a series of articles that Emma has written for us. You can also read her ...
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School transport, Cerebra help with families of children with brain conditions.

Home to School Travel and Transport Guidance Consultation -England

Cerebra’s Legal Entitlement and Problem-solving (LEaP) Project, led by Luke Clements the Cerebra Professor of Law and Social Justice at ...
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Samuel Turner and his friend Angel

Wales International Film Festival

Samuel Turner is a young man with a passion – for supporting us and for making films. He is thrilled ...
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Bobath ruler CIC

Ruling the World!

Ross Head from our Innovation Centre tells us of the team’s latest design to help children ‘rule’ the world! Whilst ...
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Cerebra Research what we do.

What’s your Experience of Community Physical Participation?

Hello. My name is Karen Visser. I am a physiotherapist, PhD student and Senior Lecturer at Cardiff University. You can ...
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School transport, Cerebra help with families of children with brain conditions.

School Transport for Nat

Our Legal Entitlements and Problem-solving (LEaP) Project helped Nat get transport to school and as a thank you he has ...
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Nappies

LEaP Project Helps Family to get a Continence Assessment at Home

Earlier this year, our Legal Entitlements and Problem-Solving (LEaP) Project supported a family who had been told that their son’s ...
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Avleen smiling at the camera.

Building a Better Bedtime Routine

My daughter Avleen was born prematurely at 28 weeks but is now five years old. She was diagnosed with Autism ...
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Harry with his dog.

Our Innovation Centre help Harry to throw a ball for his dog

Cerebra Innovation Centre, with help from ATiC – the University’s integrated research centre – developed the tennis ball shooter for ...
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Cerebra library a child reading books.

New books in the library

Check out the new books we have in our library. If you are not already a member you can borrow ...
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Imogen helmet

A Helmet for Imogen

The new helmet being developed by CIC and UWTSD has been made to measure by using high tech equipment to ...
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bullying and mental health

School, bullying and mental health

School. Some of us fondly remember our days in school as ‘some of the best days of our lives’. School ...
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Accessing Public Services in Scotland Toolkit Workshop

Scots law provides powerful rights to education and support from other services, but this alone isn't enough. The law can ...
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Embracing Complexity, Cerebra the charity for families of children with brain conditions

The Embracing Complexity Coalition launches

We have joined leading UK Neurodevelopmental and Mental Health Charities to Launch The ‘Embracing Complexity Coalition’ The Embracing Complexity Coalition ...
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Jigsaw, Cerebra the charity for families of children with brain conditions

SEND funding in England: the Government needs your views!

Last week the Department for Education (DfE) in England made a call for evidence about SEND funding. As many of ...
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The Cerebra Innovation Centre fish tank

CIC develop new sensory fish tank

CIC have developed a great new sensory fish tank. Fish are a great addition to a sensory experience, but are susceptible ...
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Mair Elliott, Cerebra the charity for families of children with brain conditions

The long-term effects of unreliable, inconsistent support in CAMHS

Unreliable and inconsistent support from CAMHS "When we discuss the high staff turnover, lack of reliable support, and other issues ...
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Specsavers and Imogen at the top of Pen y Fan

Specsavers donates almost £20,000

Staff at Specsavers opticians have helped donate nearly £20,000 to us, following a year of fundraising. 39 Specsavers stores across ...
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Joshua's 18th birthday

Joshua’s Transition: Part 3

Emma tells us about the challenges of transitioning from child to adult services. You can read part one here and part ...
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Cerebra Innovation Centre wins award.

We won! Innovation Centre success

The Cerebra Innovation Centre (CIC), a partnership between Cerebra and the University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD), has won ...
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Mum changing a baby

Have you been told that your child is too young to have a continence assessment?

Has your local continence team told you that your child isn’t old enough to have a continence assessment? Our new ...
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Christine Bunting

Christine Bunting takes on her biggest challenge yet as she prepares to trek to Mount Everest Base Camp

Christine Bunting, a lawyer from specialist Court of Protection law firm Hyphen Law, is about to take on the biggest ...
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School transport, Cerebra help with families of children with brain conditions.

Amelie gets transport to school, with help from our LEaP Project

Karen, who lives in Surrey, contacted our LEaP Project in January for help with a school transport problem. Her daughter, ...
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St David Awards

Cerebra Innovation Centre shortlisted for a St David Award

The Cerebra Innovation Centre (CIC), a partnership between Cerebra and the University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD), has been ...
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Joshua's Transition to Adulthood with help from Cerebra.

Joshua’s Transition: Part 2

Emma tells us about the challenges of transitioning from child to adult services. You can read part one here. It ...
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Sleep Advice Service Cerebra

Meet our new Sleep Practitioners

We're thrilled to introduce you to the two newest members of our sleep team, Carwyn Tywyn and Claire Cox. Carwyn ...
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Nappies

Has your child been refused a continence assessment at home?

Has your local continence team told you that they can only assess your child at a school/hospital, rather than at ...
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Hand shake

Designing a better future for children with brain conditions with help from South Wales Freemasons

  Our Innovation Centre and the work they do to help children take part in and enjoy life alongside their ...
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Oxy-gem

Samuel discovers freedom with his Oxy-gem

Samuel's mum Joceline recently contacted our Innovation Centre. As a member of a parent group on Facebook, she had seen ...
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Can you guess our most popular post from 2018?

We've crunched the numbers, we've checked them twice and now we can reveal our most popular posts from 2018. 5. ...
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Vanessa with Dylan, Ryan and Taran

Cerebra to benefit from Co-op Community Fund

Vanessa with Dylan, Ryan and Taran This year we have been chosen to benefit from the Co-op Local Community Fund. ...
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Boy with a female carer, smiling.

Cerebra and Cardiff University collaborate to advance support available to families

Hello, I’m Lowri and I’m really happy to be joining Cerebra to work on an exciting and new Welsh Government ...
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Joshua's Transition to Adulthood with help from Cerebra.

Joshua’s Transition Part 1

Emma tells us about the period of transition that her son, 17 year-old Joshua is about to face and the ...
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lottery raffle balls

Imogen draws our Christmas raffle winners

We held our Christmas raffle draw on Wednesday 19th December and had a very special guest do the honours. Seven ...
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Christmas elf

The twelve days of Christmas with our Innovation Centre

Christmas is a time for joy and for making dreams come true. At our Innovation Centre we believe that all children ...
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Nappies

Is your child getting unsuitable continence products?

  Have you been told that your child can’t have the type of continence product that she needs? Are you ...
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That dog has got a beard

That dog has got a beard!

We've got a great new children's book in our library that explores the consequences of being different. 'That dog has got ...
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boy with hard hat

Accessing Public Services Workshops

Are you interested in hosting a workshop to help families access services for their disabled children? We are taking bookings ...
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Specsavers and Imogen at the top of Pen y Fan

Making dreams come true this #GivingTuesday

#Giving Tuesday is on November 27th and this year we’re celebrating the amazing work our Innovation Centre do to help ...
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Owen swinging.

Soaring high

  Our Innovation Centre are proud to make products that help disabled children to enjoy and experience life alongside their ...
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CIC come up with clever 3D printed solution

The Cerebra Innovation Centre (CIC) were recently asked for help with a small project, which really emphasises the usefulness of ...
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library books

Book reviews

Our librarian Jan reviews two new books you can borrow from our postal lending library.   ‘There are Things I ...
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Joshua

An introduction to us

My name is Emma and I am married to Michael – it is our 23rd wedding anniversary today – and ...
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Child with brain condition on a adapted surfboard.

Cerebra surfboard goes global

The team at CIC designed the surfboard in partnership with Roger Cooper for children with limited mobility and brain conditions. It ...
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Alex rides the waves

The team at the Cerebra Innovation Centre are dedicated to designing and making bespoke products that enrich a child’s life, ...
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Boy with a female carer, smiling.

Special Educational Needs reform in Wales

The special educational needs (SEN) reforms in Wales are now a little under a year away from their introduction. The ...
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Nappies

Our LEaP Project helps change the Welsh Government’s guidance on continence products

Have you been told that you can’t have more than 4 continence products a day, even if your child needs ...
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happy boy with bowtie

Improving the mental health of children with brain conditions

  We are launching a new project to help families of children with brain conditions access timely and appropriate mental ...
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Mother watching child sleep

What can I do if my child needs me to be there in order for them to sleep?

  For some children, falling asleep without an adult with them seems impossible. Perhaps your child is used to you ...
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Specsavers and Imogen at the top of Pen y Fan

Caldicot girl with cerebral palsy climbs South Wales’ highest peak

Six year old Imogen Ashwell-Lewis, who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at birth, reached the top of South Wales’ highest ...
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Boy with a female carer, smiling.

Joint Statement on PenCRU by Cerebra and University of Exeter Medical School

The following joint statement concerns termination of funding from the charity Cerebra for the Academic Chair and PenCRU childhood disability ...
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Boy with a female carer, smiling.

Support in the Early Years Survey

We are working with the Family Research Group at the University of Warwick, as well as with Mencap,  Ambitious about ...
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A child sleeping.

Get a good night’s sleep with help from our library

Join our librarian Jan (and teddy) as she talks through the different books and sensory equipment we have in our ...
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Hand shake

Partnership pioneers better support services

We have forged a partnership with Cardiff University to improve services for families of children with debilitating brain disorders. The ...
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Understanding and reducing sleep disorders in children with development delay

The Sleep Project at the Cerebra Centre for Neurological Disorders at Birmingham University is studying sleep in children with neurological conditions. ...
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Difficulty sleeping

Difficulty settling at night

One of our Sleep Practitioners recently helped a family who were struggling to get their daughter to bed, and to ...
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Difficulty sleeping

Object of comfort helps Poppy sleep

Mum Rachel contacted our Sleep Service to get some advice about daughter Poppy who was having a number of sleep ...
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sleeping parent with toddler

My child just won’t go to sleep

This article takes a look at what you can do if your child just won't go to sleep. It's taken ...
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Cara smashes duathlon challenge

One of our Ambassadors, Cara Readle, recently completed a duathlon and raised over £500 for Cerebra! This was a particular ...
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Innovation Centre’s spinning pod a big hit with Curtis

Louise recently contacted our Innovation Centre after seeing a post on our Facebook page about the spinning pod chairs that ...
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Hand shake

Engage to Change

  We're delighted to welcome Kyle Davies to our team following his Engage to Change placement with us. We were ...
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We have a new Chair of Trustees

  We are pleased to announce that Sean Taggart will be joining the Board of Trustees on the 1st of ...
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Jonas enjoys sensory toys from our library

Jonas' parents recently contacted our postal lending library to borrow some sensory lights. Mum Jolanta and dad Andrej told us ...
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Summer reading ideas for the kids.

Summer Reading

Are you looking for ways to entertain the children this summer? Did you know that you can borrow children's books ...
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Handy tips for summer holiday sleep

During the summer holidays the change in routine and light, warmer nights can often make sleep difficult. It can be ...
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a boy and girl build a sandcastle

Travel insurance covering children with disabilities

  At this time of year, one of the questions coming in to our helpline is about travel insurance that ...
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Cara to take on duathlon challenge

Swansea born actress Cara Readle, famous for her role in ‘The Story of Tracy Beaker’, will be taking on a ...
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Epilepsy and getting a better night’s sleep

Louise recently contacted our Sleep Service for some advice to help 9-year-old Jonah get a good night’s sleep. Jonah has ...
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Delivering legal rights through practical problem solving

In this article we explain our Legal Entitlements and Problem-Solving (LEaP) Project with the Centre for Law and Social Justice, the ...
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Disability related expenditure and pets care costs

  A survey has found that many disabled people are unable to afford to keep a pet dog or cat ...
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Boy with a female carer, smiling.

Knowledge Transfer Partnership success!

We are delighted to announce that we have been successful in our Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) bid with the Institute ...
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