Nutrition and Care in Children with Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy is a childhood motor disability worldwide, yet its nutritional challenges, including growth impairment, dysphagia, gastrointestinal complications, feeding difficulties, and metabolic bone disease, are often underaddressed in health education. This interdisciplinary, field-based course examines nutritional assessment and intervention approaches for children with cerebral palsy. Students explore how nutrition affects growth, health, development, functional ability, and quality of life, while considering the social and family dimensions of pediatric disability care. Athens serves as a living learning environment where family-centered care, nonprofit pediatric support services, and community-based rehabilitation intersect. The course combines classroom instruction, specialist-led sessions, case-based learning, and supervised site visits, enabling students to connect knowledge with real-world care settings. Developed and delivered by the Hellenic Center for Interdisciplinary Studies and Research (HCISR) in Greece, the program provides U.S. academic credit through Arcadia University, which serves as the School of Record.