Pediatric stroke is the most common cause of hemiplegia, a form of cerebral palsy (CP) that causes weakness, stiffness, and lack of control in one side of the body.
Constraint Induced Therapy (CIT) combines constraint of the stronger arm with intensive use of the weaker arm to improve functionality for the rest of a child's life.
A CIT Camp is run by professional therapists, and engages hemiplegic children (HemiChildren) in fun-filled activities focused on the use of their weaker arm and hand.
We help to pay for CIT Camp tuition, because every HemiChild should be able to attend a CIT Camp. Insurance won't cover these fees, which can be thousands of dollars per child.
The current estimated number of children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy in the United States. Nearly 4,000 children are diagnosed with hemiplegia each year.
The number of hemiplegic children who have access to existing CIT Camps, due to capacity limits. Some CIT Camps are only able to accept about half of all applicants.
The number of CIT Camps currently in the United States (in only 18 states). Some families can afford the tuition, travel, and lodging costs, but most cannot.
We work to expand CIT by creating new tuition-free CIT Camps (REACH Camps) throughout the United States, because every HemiChild should be able to "reach camp."