Forewords.

Abstract

Developmental Medicine & Child NeurologyVolume 60, Issue S2 p. 3-3 ForewordsFree Access Forewords First published: 24 May 2018 https://doi.org/10.1111/dmcn.13792AboutSectionsPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL The 189 abstracts contained in this supplement are the best-ranked oral and poster presentations of the 30th Annual Meeting of the European Academy of Childhood Disability (EACD), held in Tbilisi, Georgia, 28–31 May 2018. The slogan of the conference is ‘Together We are Stronger’ and the meeting will serve as a platform for exchanging international knowledge and experience of all aspects of childhood disability and will help to spread these throughout the South Caucasian region and beyond. Participants from all neighbouring countries will discuss ideas for developing standardized approaches to disability. The committee suggested an open list of topics for free communications including epidemiology, screening and evaluation tools, study designs, outcome measures, integration of research and clinical practice, and best practice protocols – favouring the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health model. Topics also comprise social inclusion and participation, quality of life, family-centered care, nutrition, socio-economic and socio-cultural factors, coping with disabilities in resource poor countries, neurogenetics, epigenetics, multiple disabilities, ethical issues, innovations in technology, robotics, orthotics, surgery, interdisciplinarity, alternative versus conventional traditional treatment approaches, education, and service organization. As well as pain management, palliative care, mental health, sleep, epilepsy, motor control, hand function, mobility, gait, spasticity, dystonia, ataxia, bone health, feeding, intellectual disability, communication, vision, and hearing. The programme addresses a wide range of neurodevelopmental conditions. The format of keynote lectures is new and interesting, including keynote speakers and discussants for highlighting debatable topics. The discussants include not only professional specialists, but also parents and decision makers. Topics are devoted to evidence-based approaches, new treatments, neuroplacticity, and changing the mode of thinking about childhood disability. We hope such a diverse spectrum of presentations will make the conference very exciting and interactive. Nana Tatishvili President of the Conference Bernard Dan Chairman of the Scientific Committee This year's meeting of the European Academy of Childhood Disability (EACD)1 is outstanding in many ways. It is the furthest east we have ever been, beyond the geographical border of Europe though in full continuity with the community of therapists, physicians, surgeons, nurses, social workers, and special-needs teachers that has developed over the last 30 years. The programme is particularly rich and makes room for discussion and elaboration of common projects. In parallel with the scientific programme, the International Alliance of Academies of Childhood Disability2 has prepared an interactive teaching programme with regional stakeholders. This supplement includes a selection of the best abstracts that have been submitted for presentation at the meeting. They represent an up-to-date record of research in many aspects of the field, but it is important to bear in mind that they have not been as fully reviewed as other forms of scientific communication can be. They are meant to serve as a basis for discussion, which can be a very constructive form of review, and as an archive for the dynamism expressed at the meeting. We would be glad to consider any papers that derive from the meeting for publication in Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology. I will be presenting an instructional course sharing ideas on how to publish clinical research together with the North American Editor, Peter Rosenbaum. We will be participating in the whole meeting together with other members of the editorial board, and we will be very happy to discuss any editorial issues. Bernard DanEditor-in-Chief of DMCN References 1Tatishvili N., Together we are stronger: challenges of post-Soviet healthcare. Dev Med Child Neurol 2018; 58: 649. 2Damiano D, Forssberg H ., We are the world: meeting the global challenge of childhood disability. Dev Med Child Neurol 2016; 58: 649. Volume60, IssueS2Special Issue: Abstracts of the 30th Annual Meeting of the European Academy of Childhood Disability (EACD), Tbilisi, Georgia, 28–31 May 2018May 2018Pages 3-3 ReferencesRelatedInformation