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