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The William Little Foundation
Founded1990
FounderIan Dawson-Shepherd
TypeRegistered charity No. 803551
FocusUnderstanding the underlying causes of brain disorders, particularly cerebral palsy, and thereby develop means of preventing them
Location
Area served
International
MethodResearch funding, Public policy, and Education.
Key people
Lord Hameed, of Hampstead, Chairman
Websitewww.williamlittlefoundation.org

The William Little Foundation is a London-based charity operating internationally.

Named in honour of William Little, the English surgeon who described what became known as 'Little's disease', a spastic paralysis of both lower limbs which then became known as infantile cerebral palsy. The charity, founded in 1990 originally as The Little Foundation by the late Ian Dawson-Shepherd,[1] has as its primary object initiating and funding research[2][3][4] into the causes of neurodevelopmental disorders,[5] in particular the causes[6] and prevention[7][8] of cerebral palsy, the most severe of these disorders which also includes autism, dyslexia, epilepsy, deafness, blindness and learning difficulties. It does this by supporting world-class basic research, hosting multi-disciplinary workshops and conferences, and providing a forum for the exchange of ideas and best practice across all parts of the UK’s cerebral palsy (CP) sector.

On 4 November 2009, Lord Hameed, the charity's president, tabled a motion in the House of Lords asking the Government what measures have been taken to prevent cerebral palsy which now costs the NHS £4 billion every year.[9][10] The total annual cost of brain disorders (covering 19 groups of disorders) has been estimated to be €798 billion for the EU alone.[11]

In September 2020, the William Little Foundation published "Cerebral Palsy: causes and prevention", a review of the state of CP research around the world, highlighting work that significantly enhanced our understanding CP but also identifying gaps in research activity where it was felt resources could be applied that would accelerate our ability to combat this devastating condition. Much of this concern centres on the commonly-held view of CP as a comparatively ‘rare’ condition, meaning that research investment is significantly less than for conditions with higher incidence and prevalence. While CP’s incidence is estimated to afflict between 1.5 and 4 babies in every 1,000, no one knows this for certain as there are no universally consistent means of diagnosing CP or reporting its incidence in either the developed or developing worlds.

This ‘rarity’ argument also ignores the disproportionate social cost that is CP’s legacy: the condition is lifelong and frequently involves 24-hour care for those affected. National social-/health-care budgets and those of medical insurance companies for those not supported by a national health service continue to be stretched by the need for ever-increasing provision: CP costs the UK alone well over £1.6 billion every year. Yet the amount invested annually on research by government and other charities is worryingly small: the figure for the UK is less than £5 million, 0.23% of research funding. The UK is not alone in this – the report also reveals a similar picture of cost : investment disparity globally.[12]

Research

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The charity's most recent research projects include:

  • Autism spectrum disorder in children with and without epilepsy[13]
  • Defining and classifying cerebral palsy[14]
  • Clinical and MRI correlates of cerebral palsy[15]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Hargreaves, William (19 January 1996). "Obituary: Ian Dawson-Shepherd". The Independent. London. Retrieved 25 May 2010.
  2. ^ "Brain project; Funded by the Little Foundation." The Times [London, England] 22 Nov. 1990
  3. ^ "Research on handicaps; Letter." The Times [London, England] 30 Aug. 1991
  4. ^ "Baby brain damage research launched." The Times [London, England] 30 Jan. 1992: p.5
  5. ^ 'The potential role for arachidonic and docosahexaenoic acids in protection against some central nervous system injuries in preterm infants' M. A. Crawford, I. Golfetto, K. Ghebremeskel, Y. Min, T. Moodley, L. Poston, A. Phylactos, S. Cunnane and W. Schmidt. Lipids 2003. Vol.38, Iss.4;p.303-315
  6. ^ Hack M., Flannery D.J., Schluchter M., Cartar L., Borawski E., Klein N.(2002) 'Outcomes in young adulthood for very-low-birth-weight infants'. N. Engl. J. Med. 346 (3): 149-57.
  7. ^ Czeizel A.E.(2009) 'Periconceptional folic acid and multivitamin supplementation for the prevention of neural tube defects and other congenital abnormalities.' Birth Defects Res. A Clin. Mol. Teratol. 85 (4): 260-8.
  8. ^ Brough L., Rees G.A., Crawford M.A., Morton R.H. and Dorman E.K.(2010) 'Effect of multiple-micronutrient supplementation on maternal nutrient status and infant birth weight and gestational age at birth in a low income, multi-ethnic population.' B. J. Nutr., 23 April: 1-9.
  9. ^ "Salfordonline Disability". Archived from the original on 2011-07-15. Retrieved 2009-11-07.
  10. ^ "Lords Hansard text for 4 Nov 200904 Nov 2009 (pt 0003)".
  11. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-05. Retrieved 2012-05-20.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) 'Cost of Disorders of the Brain in Europe' European Neuropsychopharmacology (2011) 21, 718–779
  12. ^ Sassine, AnnieBelle (6 October 2020). "Cerebral Palsy: causes and prevention" (PDF). William Little Foundation.
  13. ^ Turk J, Bax M, Williams C, Amin P, Eriksson M, Gillberg C (April 2009). "Autism spectrum disorder in children with and without epilepsy: impact on social functioning and communication". Acta Paediatrica. 98 (4): 675–81. doi:10.1111/j.1651-2227.2008.01184.x. PMID 19173683. S2CID 27735286.
  14. ^ Rosenbaum P, Paneth N, Leviton A, et al. (February 2007). "A report: the definition and classification of cerebral palsy April 2006". Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology. 49 (S109): 8–14. doi:10.1111/j.1469-8749.2007.tb12610.x. PMID 17370477.
  15. ^ Bax M, Tydeman C, Flodmark O (October 2006). "Clinical and MRI correlates of cerebral palsy: the European Cerebral Palsy Study". JAMA. 296 (13): 1602–8. doi:10.1001/jama.296.13.1602. PMID 17018805.
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