top of page

Past Research Days

4th SACD Research Day

22.01.2026

Report of the day:

Day sponsored by the Anna Müller Grocholski Foundation.​

​​​

The 4th SACD Research Day in Bern brought together more than 50 people interested in research in childhood-onset disability, creating a vibrant space for scientific exchange and collaboration.

​

The day opened with an honest and thought-provoking keynote by Dr. Annemieke Buizer (Amsterdam UMC), titled “Understanding movement to improve it: from neural mechanisms to functional outcomes in children with cerebral palsy.” Her talk highlighted where current knowledge stands, what we truly know, and what still rests on assumptions — clearly showing how important work remains to be done.

​

The program continued with 12 presentations on study protocols and preliminary findings. Topics ranged from systematic reviews and the development of assessment and monitoring tools to AI-based data capture, body awareness in children, and improving accessibility of information for families of children with cerebral palsy. Breaks and lunch at the UniS offered valuable opportunities for networking and discussion.

​

In the afternoon, eight presentations showcased finalized studies, covering diverse topics such as siblings’ perspectives, hip surveillance, pain, emotional health, sleep, and the use of virtual reality in rehabilitation.

A particular highlight was the interactive research exchange forum led by Dr. Julian Jakob (University of Bern) on “The Power of Inter-Generational Collaboration in Research.” The closing message resonated strongly: shaping the future requires the strengths of all generations — learning not only from each other but with each other.

​

Many thanks go to the AMG Foundation for sponsoring the event and the awards, as well as to the scientific committee for their expertise and support.

Prizes awarded at the 4rd Research Day:

Awards were sponsored by the Anna Müller Grocholski Foundation.​

​​​

​

Study Protocols & Preliminary Results:

  1. Vera Kälin: Capturing Information about Child and Youth Involvement Through AI.

  2. Alex Bagnoud: Quantification of infant motor behavior: the development of mobile Babylab.

  3. Martha Montalbetti: Investigating Age-Dependent Effects on Body Awareness in Typically Developing Children.

 

Finalized Studies:

  1. Christopher Newman: Interrelations between Pain, Emotional Health, and Sleep in Young Adults with Cerebral Palsy: Findings from the SPARCLE 3 European Cohort Study.

  2. Johanna Linimayr: Siblings of children with cerebral palsy: A qualitative study on participation experiences in Swiss families.

  3. Charlotte Martin: Learning About Their Condition: The Gradual Path of Young People With Childhood-Onset Motor Disabilities.

3rd SACD Research Day

25.01.2024

Prizes awarded at the 3rd Research Day:

Awards were sponsored by the Anna Müller Grocholski Foundation.​

​​​

​

Study Protocols:

  1. Alisa Gschaidmeier: Effects and mechanisms of Sensory Afferent Electrostimulation (SAES) to improve Upper Limb Function in children with spastic Unilateral Cerebral Palsy: A Randomized Controlled Crossover Study
     

  2. Gaizka Goikoetxea Sotelo: Do technology-assisted therapies really provide more intensive practice than conventional therapies?

 

Preliminary Results:

  1. Johanna Linimayr: Siblings’ participation: Insights from a scoping review focusing on siblings of children with chronic conditions.
     

  2. Anja Vossenkaul: A Nationwide Survey on the Schooling, Quality of Life, and Psychosocial Functioning of Children and Adolescents with Classic Galactosemia.

 

Finalized Studies:

  1. Florian van Dellen: Device complexity and clinical environment influence how robot-assisted gait trainers are used: A mixed-method study on user competence.
     

  2. Petra Marsico: Feasibility, validity, and reliability of the Proprioception Measurement Tool (ProMeTo) for the assessment of lower limb proprioception in children with upper motor neuron lesions.
     

  3. Lena Bischoff: Pain in children and adolescents with cerebral palsy: Pain detection and its relevance on participation in Cerebral Palsy.
     

  4. Marina Pagliaro: Factor structure of the Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children (SDSC) in children with Cerebral Palsy.

​

2nd SACD Research Day

26.01.2023

Prizes awarded at the 2nd Research Day:

Awards were sponsored by the Anna Müller Grocholski Foundation.

​

Study Protocols:

  1. Judith Graser, Schulze Christina, Grunt Sebastian, Tscherter Anne, van Hedel Hubertus: Barriers and facilitators for participation in children with cerebral palsy, their siblings, and families in Switzerland.
     

  2. Maria Paraskevi Antoniou, Lora Fanda, Benjamin Backus, Pawel Matusz, Cristina Simon-Martinez: Neural correlates of motor control during reaching for objects at different depths in individuals with amblyopia.
     

  3. Anja Maria Vossenkaul, Tatiana Brémovà-Ertl, Matthias Gautschi, Regula Everts: The LOGA-Study: A Longitudinal Investigation of Cognitive, Psychosocial and Motor Functions in Association with Brain Connectivity and Metabolic Markers in Young Patients with Classic Galactosemia.

 

Preliminary Results:

  1. Gaizka Goikoetxea Sotelo, Hubertus van Hedel, Swiss Children’s Rehab: Validity and reliability of several intensity measures in children with neurological diagnoses during upper-limb robotic therapy.
     

  2. Matia Iva Vrankovic, Simon Annaheim, Jana Willibald, Jan Lieber, Hubertus J.A. van Hedel, Anna-Barbara Schlüer, René M. Rossi, Andreas Meyer-Heim: Assessment of compression forces in a digitally modified short leg cast for pressure injury risk monitoring in healthy children.
     

  3. Zamarron Sanchez Esther, Helle Tina, Van Hedel Hubertus: GAME NOT OVER - Usability of individually adapted devices for playing video games in youths with cerebral palsy: A pilot study.

 

Finalized Studies:

  1. Maret Xénia, Gehri Mario, Pellaton Rachel, Newman Christopher: Children with severe motor disabilities: Challenges and Improvements of the care in a pediatric emergency service.
     

  2. Nathalie De Beukelaer, Ines Vandekerckhove, Geert Molenberghs, Gunnar Naulaers, Anja Van Campenhout, Kaat Desloovere, Els Ortibus: Morphological muscle growth in infants and toddlers: a longitudinal study.
     

  3. Annette Bucher, Melanie Balmer, Karl Martin Sattelmayer, Roger Hilfiker, Cristina Simon-Martinez: Effectiveness of Virtual Reality to improve Balance in Children with Cerebral Palsy: a systematic review and meta-analysis with meta-regression.

​​

1st SACD Research Day

20.01.2022

Prizes awarded at the1st Research Day:

Awards were sponsored by the Anna Müller Grocholski Foundation.

​​​

Study Protocols:

  1. Graser Judith, Ammann-Reiffer C., van Hedel H.: The need for participatory research - the view of children with neuromotor disorders and their parents: A protocol of a mixed-methods design study.

  2. Cristina Simon-Martinez, Backus B.,Dornbos B., Antoniou M., Kropp M., Thumann G., Bouthour W., Steffen H., Matusz P.: Serious games embedded in virtual reality as a visual rehabilitation tool for individuals with pediatric amblyopia: A protocol for a crossover randomized controlled trial.

  3. Anja Maria Vossenkaul, Schönenberger-Loppacher D., Rössler J., Lüer S., Everts R.: Can Virtual Reality Immersion Reduce Anxiety, Stress and Pain in Pediatric Cancer Patients.​

 

Preliminary Results:

  1. Visscher Rosa, Gwerder M., Viehweger H., Sangeux M., Taylor W., Brunner R., Singh N.: Does the evaluation of developmental trajectories in movement variability provide prognostic clues in motor adaptation?​

  2. Bischoff Lena, Hunziker S., Tscherter A., Künzle K.: Pain in children and adolescents with cerebral palsy: a population-based study.​

  3. van Dellen Florian, Aurich T., Labruyère R.: Steps towards personalized robot-assisted gait therapy: A cluster-analysis of individual kinematic reactions to guided pelvis movements.

 

Finalized Studies:

  1. Schirin Akhbari Ziegler, von Rhein M., Meichtry A., Wirz M., Hielkema T., Hadders-Algra M.: The Coping With and Caring for Infants with Special Needs intervention is associated with improved motor development in preterm infants.

  2. Botross Angela, von Gunten M., Botros A., Tobler B., Nef T., Grunt S.: Action Observation Training [AOT] and accelerometry as new methods for therapy and measurement of upper limb function in infants with a unilateral brain lesion - a feasibility study.

  3. Hunziker Sandra, Morosoli F., Zuercher K., Tscherter A., Grunt S.: Prescription Practices of Medical Cannabinoids in Children with Cerebral Palsy - A Survey of the Swiss Cerebral Palsy Registry.

​

​​

bottom of page