Overview

Six-day course for physiotherapists on the specialist physiotherapy management of paediatric neurological and neuromuscular conditions (including chronic, acute, congenital and rare disorders). 

You'll learn about typical and atypical development and standardised assessments of movement and function in children with neurological and neuromuscular disorders.

Course content

During this course you'll explore cerebral palsy and other acquired and congenital neurological conditions.

You'll also review:

• typical development, and deviations from typical development, in paediatric neuro physiotherapy
• the anatomy and physiology of the brain, spine, nerves and muscles

You'll look at selecting and evaluating appropriate outcome measurement instruments for use in paediatric neurodevelopmental physiotherapy.

The evolving body of current knowledge and evidence-based practice will be examined in the light of changing healthcare policies.

You'll also explore the integration of skills and techniques, theoretical concepts and clinical reasoning.  

Who this course is for

You'll need to be a qualified physiotherapist, with a degree in physiotherapy at least equivalent to a lower second class Bachelor's degree.

Teaching, structure and assessment

This course runs over six days and is delivered through a combination of face-to-face lectures, workshops and seminars. There’ll also be online learning activities which you’ll need to complete.

Lectures will be recorded and made available via UCL's virtual learning platform (Moodle), along with learning resources. You'll also use this platform to communicate with tutors and other learners, and receive feedback.

You can take this course as either:

• a standalone short course for CPD purposes (with certificate of attendance)
• a 'taster module' that allows you to earn UCL credits towards an MSc or diploma

The taster module is assessed by a three-hour exam.

Find out more about the difference between physiotherapy short courses and taster modules on the GOS ICH website. 

Cost

The fees are:

• £900 - short course
• £950 - taster module

Learning outcomes

This course will help you to:  

• critically discuss and clinically recognise typical and atypical human development from conception through to adulthood
• understand and evaluate the current knowledge of fundamental anatomy, physiology and the consequences of neuro-pathophysiological processes of the brain, spine, nerves and muscles
• understand and have advanced knowledge of the epidemiology, aetiology, pathophysiology, development and prognosis of selected progressive and non-progressive neurological disorders of childhood 
• critically evaluate standardised assessment techniques and outcome measures regularly used in neuro-physiotherapy, for generic and selected paediatric neurological conditions
• critically justify acute and long term medical, surgical and physiotherapy interventions for the management of paediatric neurological conditions, in the context of the evolving evidence base and ethical framework
• evaluate the role of the physiotherapist in acute, community and voluntary settings, within the multi-disciplinary team, in managing and caring for children with paediatric neurological conditions, from birth into adult services

Course team

Dr Eleanor Main

Eleanor is Senior Lecturer in Physiotherapy at UCL and Programme Director for the Postgraduate Certificate, Diploma and MSc in Physiotherapy. Her clinical career has been predominantly at the Red Cross Children's Hospital in Cape Town and Great Ormond Street Hospital in London. She's worked in research and research-led postgraduate physiotherapy education at the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health since 2001.

Dr Amanda Wallace

Amanda has worked as a physiotherapist for 15 years. Her special interests are rehabilitation in neurology and translation of research findings into clinical practice. Since 2005 she has also worked in the research environment at UCL, joining the neuromuscular department in 2011 and obtaining her PhD in 2012. She combines her work in clinical out-patients with running research trials in exercise in neuromuscular disease and working as a Senior Teaching Fellow at the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health.

Dr Jane Simmonds

Jane completed her under and postgraduate physiotherapy education at Curtin University in Western Australia. She combines her work at as a Senior Teaching Fellow at UCL with specialist paediatric clinical work in the hypermobility unit at the Hospital of St John and St Elizabeth in North London. She has more than 20 years of clinical experience in a wide range of public and private musculoskeletal and sports healthcare settings in the UK and Australia and has worked in research led allied healthcare education since 2002.

Course information last modified: 30 Nov 2022, 16:00