In this episode, we explore some of the reasons why therapy can be put on hold and the view that therapy can be seasonal. It is simply not possible or healthy to have ongoing therapy.

The purpose of therapy is really to bridge the gap between where children are right now and where they want to be. So having periods of time to work on a goal is just as important as having times to let the skills shine outside of therapy.

Trustworthy research and the latest news in the world of neurodisability

Dayna and the whole Healthy Strides team recently attended the AusACPDM conference on the Gold Coast. I sat down with Dayna to ask the important questions and the key takeaways were:

• The content of the conference confirmed that Healthy Strides is sitting at the front end when it comes to providing the best interventions available in the world to our children.
• Large amounts of therapy for example 6hrs a day has not been linked to better outcomes. A balance in therapy and living life is the key to positive outcomes.
• The therapist’s delivering the best outcomes are collaborative, finding a team linked in with other health professionals, hospitals and universities where the research is being done is Dayna’s recommendation for accessing the best therapies.These teams are being challenged by peers and involved in the latest research, are linked in with doctors and have a line of communication with them.
• If a therapy you are looking into isn't being endorsed, discussed or carried out at your local hospital it is worth questioning and researching if this therapy has been proven to be safe and effective by researchers at hospitals and universities.

A great trusted resource for those parents wanting to do more research is www.mycpguide.org.au.

Professional sporting and Paralympics

Today we discussed what modified and accessible sports are available to families who might be feeling motivated after watching the Paralympics.

If your child has an interest and enjoys or has friends already playing a sport they want to play with, then you can start there. Do they like throwing a ball, bouncing a ball, kicking a ball, swimming? There will be an adapted version of the sport for them or your team can help you make adaptations to suit your child, you can then include building skills for this sport into therapy sessions if your child wishes to.