Research

The mission of the research program at Blythedale Children's Hospital is to translate advances in basic neuroscience into improved treatment for children with neurological impairments - impacting movement, sensation, and cognition - at Blythedale Children's Hospital.

child with vision therapy

Contact information

William Watson, PhD, ABPP, Director of Child Psychology

About Our Department

Areas of Research:

Clinical studies currently focus on the following areas:

  • Assistive Technology
  • Disorders of consciousness following acquired brain injury
  • Hemiplegia
  • Neurobehavioral assessment
  • Vision loss due to brain injury
     

Learn more about these important bench-to-bedside initiatives, which improve the delivery of care to children with complex medical needs through the below publications. 

Blythedale Children's Hospital partners with BRANY Institutional Review Board Services for research initiatives. 

Blythedale is a founding member of only eight hospitals nationwide of the Pediatric Brain Injury Consortium (PBIC) led by Sudhin A. Shah, PhD, Weill Cornell Medicine and Stacy J. Suskauer, MD, Kennedy Krieger Institute. 

Our Services

Peer-Reviewed Research Publications

A Descriptive Analysis of Access to Assistive Technology in Children With Acquired Brain Injury: The Right to Assistive Devices

Joseph J. Fins, MD, D Hum Litt, MACP, FRCP; Julie Knitter, OTR; Debjani Mukherjee, PhD; Karen Conti, DPT, MA, PT; Barbara Donleavy-Hiller, OTR; Linda M. Gerber, PhD; Jennifer E. Hersh, MBE; Rita Kotorac-Erlbaum, CCC, SLP; Barbara Milch, PT; Scott M. Klein, MD, MHSA, FAAP, FAAHPM

Objective Neurophysiologic Markers of Cognition After Pediatric Brain Injury. Neurology: Clinical Practice

Nayoung Kim, PhD, William Watson, PhD, Eric Caliendo, MD, Sophie Nowak, BA, Nicholas D. Schiff, MD, Sudhin A. Shah, PhD*, and N. Jeremy Hill, DPhil. (2022). October 2022 vol. 12 no. 5 352-364 doi:10.1212/CPJ.0000000000200066

Cognitive Recovery During Inpatient Rehabilitation Following Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury: A Pediatric Brain Injury Consortium Study

William D. Watson, Stacy J. Suskauer, Gulce Askin, Sophie Nowak, Katherine T. Baum, Linda M. Gerber, Laura S. Blackwell, Christine H. Koterba, Kristen R. Hoskinson, Brad G. Kurowski, Matthew J. Mclaughlin, Sarah J. Tlustos, Kanecia O. Zimmerman, Sudhin A. Shah. (2021) July-August 36(4):253-263. doi: 10.1097/HTR.0000000000000650.

Cognitive-Motor Dissociation Following Pediatric Brain Injury: What About the Children?

Nayoung Kim, PhD, James O'Sullivan, PhD, Emily Olafson, BA, Eric Caliendo, MD, Sophie Nowak, BA, Henning U. Voss, PhD, Ryan Lowder, BA, William D. Watson, PhD, Jana Ivanidze, MD, Joseph J. Fins, MD, Nicholas D. Schiff, MD, N. Jeremy Hill, DPhil, and Sudhin A. Shah, PhD

The Use of Methylphenidate During Inpatient Rehabilitation After Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury: Population Characteristics and Prescribing Patterns

Caliendo, Eric MD; Lowder, Ryan BA; McLaughlin, Matthew J. MD, MS; Watson, William D. PhD; Baum, Katherine T. PhD; Blackwell, Laura S. PhD; Koterba, Christine H. PhD; Hoskinson, Kristen R. PhD; Tlustos, Sarah J. PhD; Shah, Sudhin A. PhD; Suskauer, Stacy J. MD; Kurowski, Brad G. MD, MS

Prescribing Patterns of Amantadine During Pediatric Inpatient Rehabilitation After Traumatic Brain Injury: A Multicentered Retrospective Review From the Pediatric Brain Injury Consortium

Matthew J. McLaughlin, Eric Caliendo, Ryan Lowder, William D. Watson, Brad Kurowski, Katherine T. Baum, Laura S. Blackwell, Christine H. Koterba, Kristen R. Hoskinson, Sarah J. Tlustos, Kanecia O. Zimmerman, Sudhin A. Shah, Stacy J. Suskauer

Acute Imaging Findings Predict Recovery of Cognitive and Motor Function after Inpatient Rehabilitation for Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury: A Pediatric Brain Injury Consortium Study

Eric T. Caliendo, Nayoung Kim, David Edasery, Gulce Askin, Sophie Nowak, Linda M. Gerber, Katherine T. Baum, Laura S. Blackwell, Christine H. Koterba, Kristen R. Hoskinson, Brad G. Kurowski, Matthew McLaughlin, Sarah J. Tlustos, William D. Watson, Sumit N. Niogi, Stacy J. Suskauer, Sudhin A. Shah

Combining Unimanual and Bimanual Therapies for Children with Hemiparesis: Is There an Optimal Delivery Schedule?

Ka Lai K. Au Julie L. Knitter OTR, Susan Morrow-McGinty OTR, Talita C. Campos, Jason B. Carmel, Kathleen M. Friel 

Screening for Delirium during Pediatric Brain Injury Rehabilitation

William D. Watson, Ph.D., ABPP, Hsuan-Wei Chen, B.S., Ana K. Ortiz, B.S., Stacy J. Suskauer, M.D., Sudhin A Shah, Ph.D., Chani Traube, M.D., FAAP, FCCM

The Role of the Neuropsychologist Across the Stages of Recovery from Acquired Brain Injury: A Summary from the Pediatric Rehabilitation Neuropsychology Collective.

Watson W, Lahey S, Baum KT, Hamner T, Koterba CH, Alvarez G, Chan JB, Davic KC, DiVirgilio EK, Howarth RA, Jones K, Kramer M, Tlustos SJ, Zafiris CM, Slomine BS. (2022). Child Neuropsychology, 2022, May 30.

Feasibility of the NIH Toolbox Cognition Battery in Pediatric Brain Injury Rehabilitation Settings

Watson, W., Pedowitz, A., Nowak, S., Neumeyer, C., Shah, S., (2020). Rehabilitation Psychology, 65(1), 22-30

Tracking-Based Interactive Assessment of Saccades, Pursuits, Visual Field, and Contrast Sensitivity in Children With Brain Injury

Mooney SWJ, Alam NM and Prusky GT. Front. Hum. Neurosci. 2021. 15:737409. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.737409

Gradiate: A radial sweep approach to measuring detailed contrast sensitivity functions from eye movements 

Mooney SWJ, Alam NM, Hill NJ, Prusky GT. J Vis. 2020 Dec 2;20(13):17. doi: 10.1167/jov.20.13.17. PubMed PMID: 33369613; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7774112.  

Curveball: A tool for rapid measurement of contrast sensitivity based on smooth eye movements

Mooney SWJ, Hill NJ, Tuzun MS, Alam NM, Carmel JB, Prusky GT.  J Vis. 2018 Nov 1;18(12):7. doi: 10.1167/18.12.7. PubMed PMID: 30452585; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6238984.

Research Key Contacts

Profile photo for William Watson, Ph.D.

William Watson, PhD, ABPP

Director of Child Psychology

Treatments We Support

With the only dedicated post-acute pediatric brain injury unit in New York State - specifically constructed to treat children and adolescents with brain injuries - and our expertly trained clinical team, Blythedale is uniquely positioned to provide the best environment for recovery.

As technology continues to advance, children with special needs are becoming increasingly more integrated into the world around them. Blythedale's comprehensive Assistive Technology program, one of only a few such programs in New York State, is opening doors for these children.

Blythedale is widely recognized as a leader in treating children with rare conditions, spinal cord injury, neuromuscular disorders including muscular dystrophy and other myopathies, neuropathies, motor neuron diseases and neuromuscular junction disorders as well as complex genetic syndromes.