What makes a therapy controversial? (Part 1)

On our last podcast episode “how to ask for a second opinion” I mentioned a therapy we tried when our son was younger, saying I wished I had done more research and asked for second opinions from our medical team. This brought about more questions and conversation about all the therapies available and families wanting to know, what does the research say?

I ask Dayna, why are there controversial therapies out there available to families and why are they considered to be controversial? We start with covering off Vojta and Bobath (Neurodevelopmental treatment - NDT).

Dayna explained how the controversy around these therapies came from the mix of new knowledge and old knowledge and how it all came about with the best intentions.

Dayna also discussed Bobath therapy (NDT) and how instrumental the Bobaths were in helping understand cerebral palsy. Dayna was a Bobath practitioner and can look at it herself and acknowledge that she didn't see the outcomes she had hoped for and can understand why it is now below the “worth it line”.

All this to say, this is why continuing to research and staying up to date on research outcomes is so important as a duty of care in the role of an allied health professional.

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This week's podcast episode focused on a question that I'm sure many parents have asked themselves: how to politely but confidently ask for a second opinion when unsure or unhappy with a medical diagnosis, outcome, or lack of outcome.

If you have concerns about the care of your child or loved one, don't hesitate to voice them. You can politely ask for a second opinion by expressing your worries and requesting a referral to another specialist. We also discussed the importance of seeking out evidence-based interventions and not being swayed by anecdotal evidence or personal testimonials.

By staying informed, asking the right questions, and trusting our instincts, we can work together with healthcare professionals to ensure our children receive the best possible care.

As a parent of a child with a neurodisability, I'm always looking for ways to make therapy more effective and meaningful, and the concept of the "six Fs" really resonated with me.

What I loved most was how practical the F-words are. They remind us to consider the bigger picture when setting goals – not just focusing on physical achievements like walking, but also on things like function (what will this skill help my child DO in their daily life?), friends (how will this goal impact their social interactions?), and family (how will this affect our family dynamic and routines?).

It's so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day, but the F-words really encourage us to think long-term and make choices that support our child's overall well-being.

And can we talk about fun? It doesn't have to be all giggles and rainbows all the time, but finding ways to make therapy engaging and motivating is crucial. As we pointed out, seeing our kids content and willing to participate is a HUGE win!

The F-words really are a fantastic tool for any parent navigating the world of therapy.

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.

What is the perfect balance of therapy and school?

On today's podcast Dayna and I discuss what the ideal balance could look like once your child starts school or daycare.

Being told it was time to slow down on therapy and let our child be a child was an important permission I needed to alleviate the parental guilt associated with reducing the therapy schedule, changing the therapist’s role and knowing there was research behind the advice was so important to us.

Starting school presented the same challenges as after school therapy sessions just weren't working for us. I share how we needed to take a different approach and how we utilised our incredible therapy team to support our child at school which has worked really well for our situation and our school.

We hope you find this informative and helpful, if you have any questions or feedback on this topic or any other topics please let us know, we love hearing from you!

info@healthystridesfoundation.com