Denise Luscombe

Workshop Title: The impact of working in partnership with families to build understanding and implementation of supported lying

Director of Postural Care Australia, Paediatric Physiotherapist, ECI Consultant, Chair of PRECI (Professionals and Researchers in ECI)

Postural care is protecting the body shape of children with movement difficulties. Therapeutic supported lying is described as ‘aligning the body in a comfortable non-destructive position in bed’ (Stephens et al, 2018) or in fact at any time when lying down.

Body shape changes continue to be a significant area of concern when working with children with physical disability. Children spend a significant proportion of their day in bed, and their lying posture can have a distorting effect on their body shape and function. Although the quality and diversity of intervention strategies and assistive technology has improved significantly, we continue to see the development of body shape changes in this population.

This practical workshop will provide an understanding of how body shape changes can occur in young children and how they can be prevented, improved or maintained. It will combine key contemporary Early Childhood Intervention practices such as family-centred practice with a particular focus on family capacity building and working in partnership, with contemporary postural care knowledge. It will highlight the value of working closely with families in achieving the outcome of preventing or minimising body shape changes in young children using case studies. A simple framework will be provided that can be utilised when working with families and by families themselves.

Connie Kasari

Keynote Title: Early Interventions and Autism: Where we have been and the promise of where we can go!

Ena Heimdahl

Workshop Title: Children with feeding challenges- a long journey from looking at the food to swallowing it.

Carl J. Dunst

Keynote Title: Lessons Learned From Applied Family Systems Early Childhood Intervention Research and Practice.

Ana Maria Serrano

Keynote Title: Developing Best Practice Guidelines

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