What does inclusion mean to you?

The meaning of inclusion is something that keeps coming up, both in my own journey with my son Arthur, and in my work with clients and schools.  I think there is a perception that inclusion is simply involving someone in what we are doing. However, being involved is not the same as truly participating and benefiting from equal opportunities to achieve. A report by the National Inclusion Project wrote that “inclusion is not simply about physical proximity. It is about intentionally planning for the success...
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Healthy Spines

Today I wanted to talk to you a little bit about what a healthy spine looks like, how we can spot potential postural changes and be proactive about treating them. The structure of the spine: The spinal column is made up of little segments called vertebrae. These are designed to work in alignment in a subtle ‘s’ shaped curve when you look from the side and to be running straight from the neck to the tail bone when you look from the back. For children...
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Core stability in children - What you need to know

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Are you looking after yourself?

Back to school The kids have all gone back to school this week and I think it has raised some mixed feelings. The impression I get from the Parent Platform group and from the feeling in my own house is that there are both pros and cons to the return to school. Whilst there are obvious benefits to our children and us as parents, there are also areas that might cause a few worries. Throughout lockdown my own children have been in school for a...
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Sneaky Physio – You’re doing more than you think!

When it comes to delivering physio for our children at home, it can become something that we feel we should do. How many times have you thought “I really should do those exercises”? The trouble is, the more we tell ourselves that we “should” be doing it, the less motivation we have to actually get it done. That lack of motivation is felt by us as parents and also by our children. Sneaking it in... However, I think that we instinctively we do a lot...
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Unlearning Movement Patterns

We talk about patterns of movement a lot in physiotherapy and we tend to use the term to refer to children with high tone, but it is relevant for all types of evaluation of movement. It is a way for us to evaluate which areas of the body are strong and which are a little more challenged in their stability; we use the patterns of movement to determine what type of intervention would be best. What are movement patterns: Patterns of movement are to do...
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Whole Body Vibrations

As there is a growing use for whole body vibrations in physiotherapy, I wanted to help you increase your knowledge and understanding of it as a potential therapy tool for your child. As professionals we have so far had a bit of healthy scepticism about the advice we give because of the limited research into the benefits and risks. For a while our knowledge of the effects of vibration on the body was limited to some concerning research based on adults who work with vibrating...
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My Frequently Asked Questions

There are two topics I get asked about a lot and I thought I would give you a little bit more information about both of them. You can find out more in my Facebook group - The Parent Platform, or on my (new!) You Tube channel - The Children's Therapy Toolkit. Muscle Tone The first topic is muscle tone and the difference between high tone and low tone. I often get asked how best to manage the two ends of this scale. I like to...
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Activities for a Healthy Chest

If your child spent any time in hospital as a newborn, had prolonged oxygen requirements after birth or typically struggles with coughs, colds and chest infections, I have some ideas that will help you to easily integrate the right exercises into your play to increase the air flow in their lungs. A whistle-stop tour of the lungs: Our lungs are shaped like triangles with the smallest portion of lung volume sitting at the top of the chest near to the collar bone and the widest...
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Are you “that” parent?

I'm starting a club. It's for "that" parent. Hello! Is that you? You know you've reached "that" parent status when either you feel neurotic every time you talk to your child's professional who wants to convince you nothing more is possible, or professionals put their heads down and hope you're not on their hit list that day! Well, I'll be honest… I am "that" parent, and I wear it like a badge of honour. Because without it, the understanding, knowledge and support that I KNOW...
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Navigating the EHCP Process

Whether you are right at the beginning of your SEN journey or further down the line, everyone seems to have a different story to tell about the process. Despite this, similar themes crop up when I'm talking to families. Since moving into private practice I have radically changed my approach to report writing and have a much better understanding of the legal processes behind EHCPs. As a parent of a child with additional needs, I think it is really important to have a good understanding...
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Long Term Joint Health

Joint health is so important for all of us, and there are a number of ways that you can support it in your children. I’m going to go over what joint health is, how it impacts on movement, and some specific ways to promote it. Firstly, the science bit: In order to understand the physical presentations of joint structures and alignment, I want to explain how they work. There are different types of joints in our body and depending where they are and what their...
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What I want you to know about Physio at home

Delivering Physio at home for your child can be overwhelming, time consuming and feel like a battle you should try and win as a Parent or carer, because you know it’s something your child needs to progress and thrive. We all know and appreciate that the more physio you deliver the better the outcomes, evidence tells us so. Without someone on tap to help deliver and focus your Physio at home, it can be easy to get demotivated when life happens. And let’s face it,...
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