Research
The Queensland Cerebral Palsy Register is an important source of information of public health and other research including:
- Investigating the causes of cerebral palsy
- Finding ways to prevent and manage cerebral palsy
- Help in the planning of services to children and adults who have cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy register report
This second report from the Queensland Cerebral Palsy Register details distribution, classification, severity and known risk factors for people in Queensland with cerebral palsy who were born from 1 January 1996 to 31 December 2005.
Recent Publications
Participation
Quartermaine, J., Rose, T. A., Auld, M., & Johnston, L. (2026). Reflections on participation in the community, as self-reported by young people with cerebral palsy. Developmental Neurorehabilitation, 29(1–2), 28–45. https://doi.org/10.1080/17518423.2026.2672395
Quartermaine, J. R., Rose, T. A., Auld, M. L., & Johnston, L. M. (2024). Reflections on Participation at Home, As Self-Reported by Young People with Cerebral Palsy. Developmental Neurorehabilitation, 27(3–4), 69–82. https://doi.org/10.1080/17518423.2024.2347993
Quartermaine, J. R., Rose, T. A., Auld, M. L., & Johnston, L. M. (2024). Participation measures that evaluate attendance and involvement for young people aged 15 to 25 years with cerebral palsy: a systematic review. Disability and Rehabilitation, 46(9), 1734–1750. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2023.2207042
Quartermaine, J. R., Rose, T. A., Auld, M. L., & Johnston, L. M. (2024). Factors impacting positive and negative participation of young people with cerebral palsy: a Delphi study of consumers and health professionals. Disability and Rehabilitation, 46(7), 1330–1338. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2023.2194062
Epidemiology
Smithers-Sheedy, H., Mcintyre, S., Goldsmith, S., Waight, E., Henry G., Novak I., Balde, I., Badawi N., Kay, F., Goldsworthy C., Auld, M., Quartermaine, J., Gibson, C., Hernandez J., Scott, H., Wiltshire C., Davies, N., Maloney, E., Reid S., … Blair, E. (2023). Australian Cerebral Palsy Register Report 2023 Birth Years 1995-2016. https://cpregister.com/publications-and-other-resources/
Smithers-Sheedy, H., Waight, E., Goldsmith, S., Reid, S., Gibson, C., Watson, L., Auld, M., Badawi, N., Webb, A., Diviney, L., Ostojic, K., Kay, F., Quartermaine, J., Maloney, E., Davies, N., Hinwood, G., & McIntyre, S. (2022). Declining trends in birth prevalence and severity of singletons with cerebral palsy of prenatal or perinatal origin in Australia: A population-based observational study. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 64(9), 1114-1122. https://doi.org/10.1111/dmcn.15195
Smithers-Sheedy, H., Mcintyre, S., Goldsmith, S., Waight, E., Badawi N., Balde, I., Karlsson, P., Novak I., Ostojic, K., Waight, E., Kay, F., Goldsworthy C., Auld, M., Quartermaine, J., Gibson, C., Scott, H., Hernandez J., Maloney, E., Davies, N., … Love, S. (2020). Australian Cerebral Palsy Register 2020 Bulletin. https://cpregister.com/publications-and-other-resources/
Smithers-Sheedy, H., Waight, E., Goldsmith, S., Reid, S., Gibson, C., Scott, H., Watson, L., Auld, M., Kay, F., Wiltshire, C., Hinwood, G., Webb, A., Martin, T., Badawi, N., McIntyre, S., & ACPR Group (2024). Cerebral palsy in Australia: birth prevalence, 1995-2016, and differences by residential remoteness: a population-based register study. The Medical journal of Australia, 221(10), 533–539. https://doi.org/10.5694/mja2.52487
Smithers-Sheedy, H., Goldsmith, S., Gibson, C., Reid, S. M., Hansen, M., Watson, L., Auld, M., Badawi, N., McIntyre, S., & ACPR Group (2026). Simplifying the language in the proposed description of cerebral palsy: Less is more. Developmental medicine and child neurology, 68(4), 571–572. https://doi.org/10.1111/dmcn.16420
Sensory Function
Auld, M. L., Boyd, R. N., Moseley, G. L., & Johnston, L. M. (2011). Tactile assessment in children with cerebral palsy: a clinimetric review. Physical & occupational therapy in pediatrics, 31(4), 413–439. https://doi.org/10.3109/01942638.2011.572150
Auld, M., Boyd, R., Moseley, G. L., & Johnston, L. (2011). Seeing the gaps: a systematic review of visual perception tools for children with hemiplegia. Disability and rehabilitation, 33(19-20), 1854–1865. https://doi.org/10.3109/09638288.2010.549896
Auld, M. L., Russo, R., Moseley, G. L., & Johnston, L. M. (2014). Determination of interventions for upper extremity tactile impairment in children with cerebral palsy: a systematic review. Developmental medicine and child neurology, 56(9), 815–832. https://doi.org/10.1111/dmcn.12439
Matusz, P. J., Key, A. P., Gogliotti, S., Pearson, J., Auld, M. L., Murray, M. M., & Maitre, N. L. (2018). Somatosensory Plasticity in Pediatric Cerebral Palsy following Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy. Neural plasticity, 2018, 1891978. https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/1891978
Auld, M. L., & Johnston, L. M. (2018). A touchy topic: tactile assessment among pediatric therapists. Disability and rehabilitation, 40(3), 267–276. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2016.1250170
Auld, M. L., Ware, R. S., Boyd, R. N., Moseley, G. L., & Johnston, L. M. (2012). Reproducibility of tactile assessments for children with unilateral cerebral palsy. Physical & occupational therapy in pediatrics, 32(2), 151–166. https://doi.org/10.3109/01942638.2011.652804
Auld, M. L., & Johnston, L. M. (2018). Perspectives on tactile intervention for children with cerebral palsy: a framework to guide clinical reasoning and future research. Disability and rehabilitation, 40(15), 1849–1854. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2017.1312571
Cox, L. E., Harris, E. C., Auld, M. L., & Johnston, L. M. (2015). Impact of tactile function on upper limb motor function in children with Developmental Coordination Disorder. Research in developmental disabilities, 45-46, 373–383. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2015.07.034
Auld, M. L., Boyd, R. N., Moseley, G. L., Ware, R. S., & Johnston, L. M. (2012). Impact of tactile dysfunction on upper-limb motor performance in children with unilateral cerebral palsy. Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation, 93(4), 696–702. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apmr.2011.10.025
Auld, M. L., Boyd, R., Moseley, G. L., Ware, R., & Johnston, L. M. (2012). Tactile function in children with unilateral cerebral palsy compared to typically developing children. Disability and rehabilitation, 34(17), 1488–1494. https://doi.org/10.3109/09638288.2011.650314
Auld, M. L., & Johnston, L. M. (2014). "Strong and steady": a community-based strength and balance exercise group for children with cerebral palsy. Disability and rehabilitation, 36(24), 2065–2071. https://doi.org/10.3109/09638288.2014.891054
Auld, M. L., & Johnston, L. M. (2019). Getting inTOUCH: outcomes of a knowledge translation intervention for tactile assessment knowledge, barriers, and practice in paediatric therapists working with children with cerebral palsy. Disability and rehabilitation, 41(19), 2350–2358. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2018.1466202
Auld, M. L., Johnston, L. M., Russo, R. N., & Moseley, G. L. (2017). A Single Session of Mirror-based Tactile and Motor Training Improves Tactile Dysfunction in Children with Unilateral Cerebral Palsy: A Replicated Randomized Controlled Case Series. Physiotherapy research international : the journal for researchers and clinicians in physical therapy, 22(4), 10.1002/pri.1674. https://doi.org/10.1002/pri.1674
Auld, M. L., & Bolton, A. (2022). Commentary on "International Delphi Recommendations for Pediatric Lower Limb Neurological Test Protocols for Muscle Strength, Reflexes, and Tactile Sensitivity". Pediatric physical therapy : the official publication of the Section on Pediatrics of the American Physical Therapy Association, 34(4), 507. https://doi.org/10.1097/PEP.0000000000000960
Employment
Quartermaine, J. R., Macdade, A. S., Kennedy, R., & Auld, M. L., Workplace accommodations to support employees with childhood-onset physical disabilities: a Delphi study. Choice Passion Life. In Progress.
School
Auld, M. L., Salerno, E., Quartermaine, J. R., & Johnston, L. M. Getting ready for school: A state-wide study investigating expectations and choices of families of children with cerebral palsy starting school. Choice Passion Life. In Progress.
Sports Participation
Clutterbuck, G. L., Auld, M. L., & Johnston, L. M. (2020). High-level motor skills assessment for ambulant children with cerebral palsy: a systematic review and decision tree. Developmental medicine and child neurology, 62(6), 693–699. https://doi.org/10.1111/dmcn.14524
Clutterbuck, G., Auld, M., & Johnston, L. (2019). Active exercise interventions improve gross motor function of ambulant/semi-ambulant children with cerebral palsy: a systematic review. Disability and rehabilitation, 41(10), 1131–1151. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2017.1422035
Clutterbuck, G. L., Auld, M. L., & Johnston, L. M. (2022). SPORTS STARS: a practitioner-led, peer-group sports intervention for ambulant, school-aged children with cerebral palsy. Parent and physiotherapist perspectives. Disability and rehabilitation, 44(6), 957–966. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2020.1785558
Clutterbuck, G. L., Auld, M. L., & Johnston, L. M. (2022). SPORTS STARS: a practitioner-led, peer-group sports intervention for ambulant children with cerebral palsy. Activity and participation outcomes of a randomised controlled trial. Disability and rehabilitation, 44(6), 948–956. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2020.1783376
Clutterbuck, G. L., Auld, M. L., & Johnston, L. M. (2018). SPORTS STARS study protocol: a randomised, controlled trial of the effectiveness of a physiotherapist-led modified sport intervention for ambulant school-aged children with cerebral palsy. BMC pediatrics, 18(1), 258. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12887-018-1190-z
Clutterbuck, G. L., Auld, M. L., & Johnston, L. M. (2021). Performance of school-aged children with cerebral palsy at GMFCS levels I and II on high-level, sports-focussed gross motor assessments. Disability and rehabilitation, 43(8), 1101–1109. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2019.1650964
Knowledge Translation
Doig, E., Auld, M., & Bennett, S. (2025). Developing the Knowledge Translation and Impact Planner (KTIPs): a resource to enhance research translation and impact in health and rehabilitation. JBI evidence implementation, 23(2), 246–252. https://doi.org/10.1097/XEB.0000000000000453
Learn more
For more information on the Queensland Cerebral Palsy Register, visit the website at www.qcpr.org.au