This interview with the OccuPLAYtional Therapist, Kelsie Olds, is an absolute treat. We cover the realities, practicalities and benefits of child-led therapy, the integration of play in therapeutic practices, push-in vs pull out services, balancing the conflicts that arise from staying true to your core values as a therapist with meeting your service requirements and so much more

For links and resources, visit https://www.wiredondevelopment.com

04:45 A uniquely rich learning environment

13:32 Regcognising and addressing underlying difficultes

22:46 Finding the best learning opportunities

27:44 Whose actually my client?

31:26 The magic of a trust and values based approach

37:34 Navigating School Systems and Advocating for Child-Led Therapy

>> 39:13 Be Informed

>> 41:20 Value the team

>> 42:21 Keeping the child at the center

44:38 Push in vs Pull out

50:53 Gaining Respect and Buy-In from Teachers

52:58 Understanding motor skill levels through play vs standardized testing

59:32 Stop asking questions

01:04:27 Everybody is unique and we are all the same

01:08:54 Neurodiverse Conversations and Activism

01:11:06 Interoception

More than a decade ago, I asked a question which finally gets answered today. The question was

'Why, despite the poor evidence, do intelligent, scientifically minded, educated and experienced therapists still value it?

Or do they?'

Prof Margaret Mayston exemplifies the intelligent, scientifically minded, educated and experienced therapist.

She trained initially as a physiotherapist in Melbourne, Australia, and then specialised in childhood neurodisability at the Bobath centre in London before pivoting to a career in science by the completion of an MSc in Human & Applied Physiology (Kings College London), a PhD in neurophysiology, and a 3-year Wellcome Trust funded postdoctoral fellowship, both at University College London (UCL).

She has combined her clinical and academic careers, and is currently a Professor (teaching) in the Division of Biosciences at UCL teaching neuroscience and general physiology on undergraduate programmes. She also gives sessions on Typical Child Development for the MSc Advanced Pediatrics (UCL) and as a Senior Bobath Tutor (pediatrics) she also teaches on Foundation courses globally and is involved in tutor training.

We cover so much more than Bobath therapy in this interview, from basic physiology to philosophy and everything in between, but essentially this interview explores why the call to deimplement Bobath NDT is so misguided and captures why intelligent, scientifically minded, educated and experienced therapist think all over the world think the call to deipmlement Bobath NDT is not only ignorant and misguided, but detrimental to our profession as a whole, and a disservice to the kids and families that we are tasked with caring for.

Check out the resouces and article discussed in this paper https://www.wiredondevelopment.com

Interoception is a key sense that has been widely studied for decades but is only now making its way into clinical applications and Kelly Mahler is an amazing occupational therapists who is leading the way both clinically and academically in understanding the role of this key sense for occupational and physical therapists working in neurodevelopment. Don't miss this practice changing conversation on how we should think about interoception in our clinical work. It's jam packed with practical ideas and actions that we can take back to the clinic right now.

I know you’re going to love it!

Enjoy!

A passionate and engaging conversation with Dr Julie Vaughan-Graham, PT, PhD, Advanced IBITA Instructor, Adjunct Clinical Professor at McMaster University and University of Toronto, Canada and Founder of Physio-Logic and iNeuroRehab . Julie shares insights from her research on the Bobath concept, and the importance of postural control, selective movement and movement variability and efficiency. We discuss clinical reasoning, the challenges of research, and the future of physio/ physical therapy. If you've ever had questions about the state of the evidence in this area of practice, you're going to find this conversation enlightening. You can find all the resources mentioned in the discussion at https://www.wiredondevelopment.com

In the evolving landscape of pediatric neurorehabilitation, the emergence of therapeutic coaching has marked a paradigm shift. This approach, which marries therapeutic principles with the empowering dynamics of coaching, is designed to effect profound, tangible changes in the lives of children and their families. Occupational Performance Coaching (OPC) is a distinctive coaching methodology that positions families and goal setting at the heart of therapeutic interventions.

The mind behind this transformative approach is Dr. Fiona Graham (Fi), an occupational therapist who has developed, taught, and researched OPC. Her work presents a mix of deep expertise and a passion for supporting children's success in everyday life.

If you've ever wondered about the potential of therapeutic coaching in pediatric neurorehabilitation, this interview is a must-listen. Dive into this conversation with me as I explore the nuances, challenges, and benefits of an evidence based approach to therapeutic conversations, coaching and therapy in neurodisability.

Gerti Motavalli and Dr. Alon share their insights into the work they have been doing with non-invasive spinal stimulation that is changing the lives of many children with Spina Bifida. We dig into both the theoretical and practical application of this this protocol, as well as how it compares to other electrical stimulation approaches in pediatrics.

With decades of experience and a background spanning multiple countries, Gerti and Dr. Alon bring a wealth of knowledge along and practical experiences to this fascinating topic.

Grab more resources at https://www.wiredondevelopment.com and enjoy the learning!

There are many brilliant and passionate therapists in our world of neuromotor development, but few come close to Beverly Cusick in their ability to shape the lives of the children we see. I mean that both at the most pragmatic level where Billi’s teaching of serial casting and orthotic prescription has literally shaped thousands of feet for the better, and her brilliance in developing TheraTogs has contributed to the improved alignment and development of a thousand more little bodies. But I also mean this as a more theoretical level where Billi relentless drive to make sense of the science as it relates to growing bodies and her pedantic attention to detail has given us the most impactful tools in our therapy toolbox to really understand, measure and monitor the work that we do reliably, repeatably and meaningfully. For me this is the essence of evidence based practice, especially in our world of complex, multi-faceted, ever changing little bodies.

For the longest time, the research into the effectiveness of TheraTogs has not matched the interest and value that therapist who use it properly see in their day to day practice. Recently however, a few papers have been published that are starting to get closer to capturing these therapeutic benefits that clinicians’ have been excited about for years. I sat down with Billi to discuss why previous research has failed to capture our experiences and what’s different about this new research that may change the narrative - because evidence based practice shouldn’t be about quoting publications, but critically appraising the research and demanding that it reflects the true nature of the work we do.

for resources and more discussed in this interview visit https://www.wiredondevelopment.com

Per is a Physiotherapist from Denmark and founder of Solemaids, a custom orthotic for children with Sever’s Disease / calcaneal apophysitis. His passion for feet and running related injuries led him to develop Solemaids more than 20 years ago which he is still supplying from his in-house workshop, despite a global reach. This was a great conversation about what it takes as a therapists to develop and support a clinical product globally, as well digging into the incidence, trajectory and impact of Sever’s. We also touch on the research, and what it means to have a research supported product for clinician / developers. Per’s approach is systematic, thoughtful and insightful, and his relatively straight forward solution to this sometimes life interupting issue is something we should all have access too. A must listen! Enjoy!!

In part 2 of this interview on spinal neuromodulation with Dr Susan Hastings and Dr Reggie Edgerton, we get into the questions that everyone is asking; how is it different to FES? What is the difference between the different units and parameters? Who does it work on, and more. We dig into some in depth discussions about application and precautions and touch on getting involved in the research. Check out the wiredon development website for details. In part 2 of this interview we take the theoretical discussions and move into real practical considerations. You’re going to love it. Enjoy

Dr. Susan Hastings is a physical therapist who stumbled upon the hidden potential of the spinal cord in treating children with cerebral palsy. In her quest to understand what she was seeing clinically, she found Dr. Reggie Edgerton, a pioneer in the field of spinal cord injury recovery. Together they have been exploring the potential of spinal neuromodulation to drive recovery in children with cerebral palsy. Their work is set to change the way we think about rehabilitation in cerebral palsy, and in this interview we dig into the history, feasibility, theories and implications of spinal neurorehabilitation. You'll find links and resources discussed in this interview at https://www.wiredondevelopment.com

Maybe not so much the OTs in our world or neurodevelopment, but certainly as PTs we have prioritised motor function over sensory function when we think about how the body works. The more we learn about the importance of the sensory pathways in the sensory-motor loop, the better we get at understanding how, as therapists who can only work from the outside in, we can impact the whole system when we pay attention to the incoming information, and more importantly the processing and interpretation of that incoming information. And of all the senses, vision could arguably be the most important for driving, modulating and impacting neuromotor development, which is why I am so excited to be brining you this interview today with Bronwen Scott, talking about all things vision and development. Jam packed full of useful insights, practical applications adn clinical pearls, you’re going to love this conversation - enjoy!