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!

There’s nothing I love more than amplifying the voices of passionate clinicians who have the kind of wisdom and insights that can only be found through years of real world real life experiences mixed in with an endlessly curious mind and an irrepressible excitement for whats possible. That’s exactly what Julie Perfect brings to this interview. Years and years of learning, doing, teaching and learning some more about standing and gait development makes for fascinating conversation about this topic that holds so much influence over the work we all do. So much more than a marker of ability, standing and walking delivers a promise of participation and independence across the life span IF we get it right - and in this interview, Julie shares some of her hard earned wisdoms about exactly how to do just that. We start off - as most good stories do - at the point where it all began… For links and resources related to this podcast visit www.wiredondevelopment.com

It is possible to have been a therapists for 30+ years, worked with hundreds, if not thousands of kids and have completely missed a glaring piece of the puzzle that was hidden in plane sight. That’s how I felt dipping into Dawn Sandalcidis’ world of children's bowel and bladder issues. Guilty that I hadn’t paid enough attention to the conversation with parents about their kids constipation, fascinated about how much their was to know about this most basic human function and excited about what we could do as therapists to make significant impacts in the lives and well-being of the kids who cross out paths if we just pay attention and ask the right questions. Dawn Sandalcidi is know as a trail blazer in this areas of kids bowel and bladder and she is that and so much more. I think we squeezed more into this interview than any other interview I’ve done. More questions, more diagnoses, more practical tips , insights and inspiration - Dawn seems to make the impossibly complex simple and doable. I know you are going to gain so much from listening to this interview! Enjoy! For links and resources jump to the full episode page on http://www.wiredondevelopment.com And if you enjoyed the conversation, you'll love The Wired Collective. Look for the waitlist link on the wiredOn Development website..

This interview is packed with practical tips, brilliant insights and golden nuggets to take away. We get into the weeds of idiopathic toe-walking, CP and and orthotic devices in but just as importantly, we explore the realities of bringing clinical work and evidence based practice into alignment (excuse the pun). Because this interview has such a practical focus, I do need to state that all advice is in this and all wiredOn interviews is general information for our individual growth and learning and is not meant as treatment or clinical advice, even when we are discussing specific clinical cases. Therapy in pediatric neurodisabilty is both an art and a science and Brigid Driscoll brings these together so eloquently in this wiredOn interview. I know you are going to get so much value out of this interview - enjoy! For links and resources jump to the full episode page on http://www.wiredondevelopment.com And if you enjoyed the conversation, you'll love The Wired Collective. Look for the waitlist link on the wiredOn Development website.

This is part 2 of Anat Baniel’s 2 part interview. In part one we dived into understanding the 9 essentials and contrasting them with some of our more contemporary approaches in physical and occupational therapy. In part two we get into some hot topics and Anat answers questions sent in by curious wired on listeners. Anat is in equal measure passionate, emphatic and open-minded. I loved her thoughtful responses to challenging questions, but most of all I loved just being exposed to the way she thinks about the world, and the work that we do - the science, the art, and the possibilities. enjoy!

I hold curiosity and an open mind as two of my most precious values and so I love nothing more than to step off the straight and narrow in search of treasures and possibilities.I am struck however by how much synergy there is in what thought leaders and master clinicians that I’ve interviewed are saying - and how Anat has packaged these up in her 9 essentials. Such seemingly opposing philosophies of approach all in agreement despite their many differences - Kim Barthel talking about emotion, the brain-body connection, and the importance of verbalizing behavior to bring awareness and connection, Brian Hoare talking about the importance of extrinsic learning and learning to learn, Jean-Pierre talking about not treating into the child's limitations but accessing the brains capacity for change and Prof Rosenbaum recognizing the importance of accepting each child as perfectly whole and amazing no matter their current challenges. I'm excited by so much synergy and worried that egos get in the way of building on these connections, and concerned about how we start to tease out the hope from the hype. What a crazy, energizing and precarious place to be as therapists - we have important roles to play here because we are the ones who walk the longest and closest with the parents and their children - we have a responsibility to be open to new possibilities whilst being informed and cautious. How do we do that? With conversations open conversations for a start which is exactly what this interview is about. Anat and I had so much to say, that I’ve had to split it into two parts. This is part 1 as we seek to understand the concepts. In part two we really dig into the hot topics, hard questions and science - enjoy For all the links mentioned in this podcast and more great speakers check out www.wiredondevelopment.com

If you've ever wished for a blueprint that would guide you through the process of becoming an exceptional clinician, then you want to sit down with me for a chat with Jean-Pierre Maes. Jean-Pierre has packaged his years of learning, his experience, and unmatched clinical reasoning and analysis skills into the MAES therapy approach. This approach gives therapist the skills to understand the clinical picture as an expression of brain function; and the tools to target brain function rather than body function. If you are working with kids with brain-based movement disorders, you can't afford to miss this interview! Enjoy! For links to the articles discussed in this podcast go here www.wiredondevelopment.com

W-sitting, Botox, walking vs wheelchairs, fixing vs participation and the inside view on RCTs and Evidence Based Practice. These are just a few of the hairy topics that came up for discussion as I sat down to talk about childhood disability and the F-words with Professor Peter Rosenbaum. Peter is the co-founder of CanChild, arguably one of the most innovative leaders in childhood disability research, a professor of paediatrics and an amazing human being who is driven to make a difference in the lives of children across the globe. If you don't know what the F-words are in relation to the ICF, this conversation is for you. If you're familiar with the F-words, you're going to love the application of their essence into all aspects of the work we do. Either way, this conversation is filled with wisdom and experience that you don't want to miss. Enjoy! For links to the articles discussed in this podcast go here www.wiredondevelopment.com

I had a hard time trying to come up with a word that best described Susan Hastings because I couldn’t choose between innovative and insightful. The truth is that Susan intertwines these two qualities into her therapy approach with such single-minded brilliance that she has developed her clinical practice into something that is arguably the most exciting approach to neuromotor rehab that I have had the pleasure of delving into ever. Susan’s enthusiasm for trying new things has led her down the path of PWB gait training, FES, WBV and some new techniques that are so exciting they’re going to blow the roof off what we are able to achieve with our kids – Susan’s approach is so fun. She never asks does this work, she says, let’s give this a go and if I see changes, how can I figure out why I’m seeing them and how can I make it work better.  This interview made me see things in from a completely new perspective, I loved chatting with Susan and you are going to love this interview. Actually, in retrospect, I think the word I’ll use to describe Susan is exciting - enjoy

Passionate, straight-talking and someone who not only teaches this stuff - but lives it. We're talking 24-hour-postural management, body symmetry and nighttime positioning with Sarah Clayton from Simple Stuff Works. Sarah is passionate about posture! And her passion is highly contagious. She has worked with families of children living with complex disability since the late 1990’s and her life’s mission is to enable parents and practitioners to help put an end to avoidable complications such as hip dislocations and scoliosis. On top of that, she's grown up in a family where 24-hour-postural management is in the blood (with her dad being the brain behind the Goldsmith Indices used to measure body symmetry) and she's been in the thick of it since 2007 when her daughter Abigail was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumour at aged 6.  And so now in 2019, Abi is doing well at a mainstream college with additional support and Sarah has three other children, works full time as a "therapeutic night time positioning & measurement of body symmetry" specialist for Simple Stuff Works and can regularly be found wearing her jumper inside out. And also in 2019 I am excited to be able to interview Sarah and dig into all things related to making postural management work in the real world! If you're equally passtionate about body posture or you're struggling to make 24-hour-postural management work with equipement and families, this podcast is a must listen

A fundamental skill for therapists working in neuromotor development is the ability to analyze movement. The GMA (General Movement Assessment) takes it to a whole new level and Colleen Peyton has a wealth of knowledge about just how to do this. As a licensed GMA instructor, Colleen combines her many years of clinical work as a physical therapist with her academic research on human movement and development to give us practical and applicable insight into this amazing tool that is changing the outcomes of children at risk for cerebral palsy and other developmental disabilities. No matter if you're familiar with the GMA or it's new to you, you'll find something in this interview that will give you an A-ha moment - and when you do - join in the online conversation by sharing it with a #wiredonColleen so we can find you and appreciate your insights too! For links and more information go to www.wiredondevelopment.com

We talk about multi-disciplinary and we talk about being wholistic therapists that see the whole child, but Dr Mary Massery lives and breathes these concepts (excuse the pun). Mary Massery is probably most well know for her soda pop can theory of postural stability and in our interview I was expecting to focus on breathing and core - and we did a lot of that - but thats just a starting point. Mary has a formidable and impressive reputation as a thought leader in physical therapy and it is well deserved. She is an international key note speaker, an academic and a practicing clinician who fully intends to keep practicing after she turns 100, which is a good thing for the rest of us and all the clients she works with! I was hugely excited to interview Mary fo a wired on Podcast and I was not disappointed. You won’t be either - you are going to love this interview - enjoy For links and more information go to www.wiredondevelopment.com

I’ve been interviewing amazing clinicians for well over a year now, and therapists often reach out to me and make suggestions about who they think is worthy of an interview. Susan Blum has been recommended more than most, and if you haven’t at least heard her name mentioned alongside TMR tots & teens, I’m thinking you’re probably a wee bit isolated from the general chatter of pediatric physical therapists online. The growing number of therapists that have been raving about and recommending her approach is a tiny window of insight into the power and exciting potential behind this systematic approach to treating a wide range of children (and adults) with difficulties ranging from delayed milestones to cerebral palsy and everything in between and I was not disappointed. Links to all the good stuff we talked about can be found at www.wiredondevelopment.com Enjoy!

Oren Steinberg is the founder and chairperson of Sensory Treat, a revolutionary programme that supports therapists and parents to work together in creating home exercise programmes for children with sensory processing difficulties. Oren comes from a background of tech, currently working for a healthcare and technology company on a mission to make clinical genetic sequencing more accessible to physicians and patients, but his super power is that he is a dad that has walked the walk - and has his own personal journey of being a parent of a child on the therapy treadmill and what it means to actually be successful as parent at implementing therapy with your own kids at home - and what we as therapists can do to help with that. I really enjoyed our chat - it gave me a lot of food for thought and I know you are going to get a lot out of it too - enjoy! For links to everything discussed in this interview and more, head on over to www.wiredondevelopment.com

Esther is a physiotherapist from the Netherlands whose passion and energy for all things related to pediatrics is stunning. Maybe best know for her work in elastic therapeutic taping she is also keenly interested in Bindegewebsmassage (German CTM method) and scoliosis management. As past chair of IOPTP (International Organisation of Physical Therapists in Paediatrics) and international instructor and author, Esther holds a unique perspective on how therapy is and should be practiced in the world. Officially retired, Esther travels the world teaching and sharing her knowledge as a true clinician who values not only the evidence base, but the patients experience and intuitive wisdom that comes with real work in the real world. You can find handy links and more info at www.wiredondevelopment.com Enjoy!

Today's guest is Dr. Cylie Williams. Cylie is a podiatrist and a senior research fellow at Monash University’s school of physiotherapy. Besides being an active clinician, she has been involved in a wide range of interesting research from whole body vibration therapy to developing clinical decision-making tools in cerebral palsy. She is passionate about knowledge translation in allied health professions and her special interest is idiopathic toe-walking. I thought it might be fun to pick her brains and dig a little deeper into feet and shoes from a different angle. Cylie delivers a practical approach to this complicated topic with some solid advice and a good dose of realism. You can dig deeper and grab some easy links to the things we've discussed in this podcast at www.wiredondevelopment.com - Enjoy

Cole is a physical therapists, a professor, a researcher, an innovator, a designer and a neuroscientist with a post doc in developmental psychology. He is changing the world of rehabilitation using enriched environments for brain neuroplasticity and he is on a mission to make technology not only functional, but beautiful and affordable. Get the real story behind GoBabyGo, The GoBabyGo Cafe, Harness House and Gravity. Cole's research goal is: To advance technologies so all people can create their world via independent mobility. I love tech, I love mobility and neurorehabilitation and I love how Cole puts all of these together in the most real world, reachable way. Find out why outpatient neurorehab is a dead dinosaur and why "shrink it and pink it" is what's wrong with pediatric practice today. Cole's advice is not only out of the box, but cutting edge. Head on over to www.wiredondevelopment.com to dive deeper into topics discussed in the interview and get into it in the podcast here - enjoy! - Enjoy

Pia Stampe is a physical therapist who earned her doctor of Physical Therapy degree in the US and her undergrad degree from Denmark. This has given her a unique set of skills that, under the mentorship of Dr Karen Pape, she has used to develop a systematic and considered approach to delivering an intensive therapy model that is showing spectacular results for children with neuromotor difficulties. With the growing neuroscience research on the benefits of intensity for brain plasticity clashing with the diminishing funding available for therapy, I was super eager to pick her brains about the practical issues of providing this kind of a model in a paediatric practice - and I was not disappointed. Pia and Karen's approach is getting results. In this interview we get into the nitty gritty from a therapist's perspective: scheduling, funding, tools of the trade - Pia generously shares advice, tips and tricks, along with a framework that makes her intensive therapy approach easy to implement. Head on over to www.wiredondevelopment.com to dive deeper into topics discussed in the interview and get into it in the podcast here - enjoy!

Nancy Hylton is one of the most influential physical therapists in the world of dynamic orthotics. She has been key in bringing us both SPIO compression garments and Cascade dynamic foot orthoses. She is a brilliant example of a therapist whose clinical skills and intuitive analysis of movement has directed her interventions and paved the way for new approaches (and new research). Nancy's passion and unique take on therapy made this interview so much fun to do! It's jam packed with practical advice and answers to some of the most frequently asked questions we have as therapists working in childhood disability - make sure you find the time to listen to this one! Head on over to www.wiredondevelopment.com to get more insights and info on things we've discussed in this interview.

Dr Brian Hoare is an occupational therapist from Australia, probably known best for his contributions to the field of CIMT and bimanual training in children with unilateral cerebral palsy. At the time of this interview, he had more than 34 publications (including 2 Cochrane Reviews and an RCT) under his belt AND some cutting-edge research underway. Brian is passionate about bridging the gap between research and clinical practice through his company CPteaching. He has a highly specialized clinic for children with unilateral cerebral palsy where he continues to work as a clinician and in his spare time (apparently he still has some) he has developed and maintains his own iPhone App, CPtoys. To get links and dig deeper into the topics we covered in this interview, head over to www.wiredondevelopment.com Enjoy! Mindy

From craniosacral therapy to biomechanics and neurobiology, attachment theory, neurodevelopment, sensory integration, mental health, and trauma. Kim Barthel is eclectic, grounded and everything in between. She is an OT, an author, a teacher and a visionary. Kim has worked with the World Health Organization and consulted at government level on policies and programs impacting vulnerable populations and in her spare time, she is an NDT and Sensory Integration instructor! Kim has a gift for putting things in perspective and making complex ideas simple - You will come away from her interview with a deeper understanding of many therapy approaches and a feeling that you could probably start to make headway with some of your behaviourally complex kids. For links to things Kim mentions in the interview and more, head over to www.wiredondevelopment.com

Jo-Anne has worked as a paediatric physiotherapist in South Africa, America, New Zealand and Canada - in hospitals, early intervention, schools and private practice. Her clinical knowledge is multifaceted and she has a life long love of hands-on learning, but her specialty is Cuevas MEDEK Exercises. Listen to the interview to find out more about CME and how it fits in with more traditional therapies plus a whole lot of useful advice. Click here: http://bit.ly/wiredOnCME to head on over to the wiredOn Development website for quick links to all the good stuff Jo-Anne shares and more in depth info and if you'd like snippets of brilliance from this interview and other brilliant minds delivered straight to you inbox in quick weekly emails that take less than a minute to read, sign up for Seriously Smart Snippets here http://bit.ly/emailSnippet

Karen Pape,MD, is a neonatologist and clinical neuroscientist who knows about neuroplasticity and is excited about what we can do as pediatric therapists. She is challenging the common belief that cerebral palsy and brain injuries do not recover and inviting us as pediatric therapists, parents and people living with cerebral palsy to not accept less than optimal therapy. We can do better and have better outcomes with a better approach to treating cerebral palsy. She backs this up in her recent book where she generously shares her years of keen observations, clinical analysis and practical "in the trenches" experiences that have made her an expert in neurodevelopment and childhood disability To find out how you can win copy of Karen's book click here: http://bit.ly/KPBookPodcast In this interview Karen and I dig deeper into the practicalities of how pediatric therapists can apply the interventions that she talks about in her book, including how to avoid Butterfly Syndrome and avoid chasing Rainbows. She has a great talent for simplifying complex ideas and a strong message that everybody working or living with cerebral palsy needs to hear. For a peek into a brilliant mind and a whole lot of useful advice stick on some headphones and push play. For quick links to all the good stuff Karen shares and more in depth info go here: http://bit.ly/wiredON_KarenPape Enjoy! Mindy

Judy Carmick, MA, PT is a physical therapist that excels at weaving together the philosophies and approaches that form the bases of pediatric neuromotor rehabilitation - even ones that seemingly conflict like Brunnström and Bobath! But she doesn't stop there, she has taken their teachings, mixed in with the current literature and applied it with a curious and observant clinical approach to develop her own amazing application of neuromuscular electrical stimulation, which she calls TASES (Task Specific Electrical Stimulation). The results are fast and effective and it really does look like she has a magic wand. This interview is pure gold! I hope you enjoy learning from Judy's amazing thoughts and insights as much as I did. Sign up to get notified about our news & future guests at www.wiredondevelopment.com and you'll get free access to our "subscribers only" page with pdf summaries of all the tips and action points from selected interviews Enjoy! Mindy

If you want to be an effective pediatric therapist, start here. Shelley Mannell from Heartspace PT brings a wealth of wisdom and analytical brilliance to addressing the underlying components of therapy that make everything else work better. She addresses not only what our kiddos need to improve their dynamic core and function, but what we can do ourselves to achieve excellence in our own areas of practice. If I had one word to describe Shelley, it would be "Wise" and you are guaranteed be wiser for having listened to her! Enjoy

Liesa is a pediatric physical therapist who is leading the field in treating idiopathic toe-walking. Liesa gives us some amusingly honest insights into how she developed her skills and knowledge as well where you can go to start or progress your own clinical expertise in this area. Jam packed with advice and actionable tips for treating and assessing toe-walking, Liesa explains how to apply her learning's from autism to cerebral palsy. Click on this link to get all the resources, research and links to everything mentioned in the interview: http://bit.ly/LiesaPersaud You'll also find some handy time markers so you can jump straight to a topic of interest if you're short on time.

Beverly Cusick, better known as Billi, is the inventor of TheraTogs and a leader in the management of equinis deformities in children with cerebral palsy. What are her thoughts on Bobath and NDT? What do you need to do to improve your problem solving skills? Pop some headphones on and enjoy listening and learning from this straight talking, no fluff thought leader in the field of pediatric physical therapy. Click on this link to get all the resources, research and links to everything mentioned in the interview: http://bit.ly/2fZAsyS You'll also find some handy time markers so you can jump straight to a topic of interest if you're short on time. Cheers, Mindy