More than 13% of US children between ages 3 and 17 experience developmental disorders, according to the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. In an effort to help parents of children with disabilities in choosing holiday gifts, the Move Forward campaign of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), Alexandria, Va, is hosting a TweetChat on December 8 from 4:30 to 5:30 pm ET.

The chat will be moderated by the HollyRod Foundation, founded by Holly Robinson Peete. Rachel Brady, PT, DPT, MS, will be available via @MoveForwardPT to answer questions and address issues related to choosing appropriate gifts for children with disabilities.

"All children learn through playing," said Brady. "Playtime is especially important for children with disabilities. It not only helps families focus on their child’s cognitive, motor, and social skills, but also helps the child further develop these skills in a fun and playful way."

Register using EventBrite: http://moveforwardpt.eventbrite.com/
To join the chat, visit http://tweetchat.com/room/MovePT, log in to Twitter and follow the hashtag #MovePT.

The HollyRod Foundation provides medical, physical, and emotional support for those living with Parkinson’s disease and autism. Founded by Rodney and Holly Robinson Peete, it includes two programs, hollyrod4kids for autism and the HollyRod Compassionate Care Program for Parkinson’s Disease.

Rachel Brady is a region cirector for APTA’s Section on Pediatrics, and a research associate with the Georgetown University Center for Child and Human Development on projects related to research, personnel development, and services for individuals with developmental disabilities. She develops training and provides technical assistance for the District of Columbia Early Intervention Program and distance learning projects. She has expertise in early intervention service provision and early intervention professional development.

[Source: APTA]