The 5-day workshop "Active Learning for Life - Early Steps" will be presented by therapists from Cerebral Palsy Education Centre in Melbourne, Australia. Over the course of 5 days, the workshop will provide training on dynamic assessment, intervention strategies, communication techniques, self-care skills, and assistive technology to help children with complex physical and communication needs. The training aims to empower parents and caregivers to integrate therapeutic strategies into daily routines. Presenters have over 100 years of combined experience and the workshop will benefit therapists, teachers, and families.

1. ACTIVE LEARNING FOR LIFE - EARLY STEPS
5 DAY WORKSHOP
Presented By:
Therapists from Cerebral Palsy Education Centre (CPEC),
Melbourne, Australia in conjunction with
Step By Step Early Intervention Society, Calgary, Alberta.
WORKSHOP
INFO
Long term aim for all children to:
“Be able to say what I want to say, to whoever I want to say it to,
whenever I want to say it.” Gayle Porter – PODD Creator
At Step by Step, we are excited to be able to bring this team of
therapists to Calgary to share their knowledge and expertise here.
Their teaching and sharing will be of benefit to therapists, teachers
and assistants working with children with complex physical and
communication needs as well as for the families of these children.
CPEC is the center where Gayle Porter created and developed the
Pragmatically Organization Dynamic Display (PODD)
communication system.
Immediately following this 5 day course, we will be hosting a 2 day
Pragmatic Organized Dynamic Display (PODD) Introductory
Workshop on Mon August 24th and Tuesday August 25th at Ambrose
University also.
Therapists, teachers and parents should attend this.
See 2 day PODD Intro Workshop flyer at www.StepByStepEIP.ca
CPEC (Melbourne) offers an excellent service delivery model
integrating therapeutic and educational strategies in an ‘active
teaching-active learning’ framework which enables real life
inclusion, participation and engagement. This model emphasizes
empowering and teaching parents how to integrate successful
therapeutic and educational strategies throughout their child’s day
to make these a ‘way of life’ within their family and community.
Location:
Registration link available at
www.StepByStepEIP.ca/training
Phone: (587) 893 – 7429
Email: info@StepByStepEIP.ca
Wed Aug 19th to
Sun Aug 23rdth 2015
8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Early Bird: $625 + GST +
Service Fees
Regular: $725 + GST +
Service Fees
Cost:
Dates:
Ambrose University
150 Ambrose Circle SW
Calgary AB

2. Claire Cotter (B. App Sc.(Occupational Therapist), Dip. CE Hon, OTR) is the
Manager and cofounder of the Cerebral Palsy Education Centre in
Melbourne, Australia. Claire has worked in this field for 38 years and has
qualifications in the Bobath approach, Conductive Education and
Sensory Processing. Her expertise includes teaching motor control,
addressing sensory processing challenges, and developmental play and
technology for children with cerebral palsy. She is committed to the best
possible outcomes for families who are raising a child with cerebral palsy
and other neurological disabilities. Claire also works in a mentor role with
other staff at CPEC and beyond. CPEC uses a trans-disciplinary
approach to service provision building community capacity to include
children and adolescents in local education and recreation options. She
presents papers and workshops at international and national conferences and forums around the
topics of cerebral palsy, strength-based practice, occupational therapy, conductive education,
participation and inclusion. She coordinates a wide and expanding range of professional
development opportunities, which more recently expanded to be accessible via on-line resources.
(Visit www.cpec.org.au.)
Lynn Carter (Dip. Physiotherapy, APAM) has over 35 years’ experience
working with children with cerebral palsy and their families in Sydney and
Melbourne, Australia. She is a cofounder of the Cerebral Palsy Education
Centre in 1998. She currently works as a mentor to therapists and families, as
well as providing consultancy to the online training modules that CPEC
launched in 2014. She has been a key team member in setting up a range of
innovative service delivery models in early intervention and local schools for
children with cerebral palsy and similar disabilities. For over 20 years, Lynn
was a clinical supervisor to physiotherapy students and a guest lecturer to the Melbourne University
undergraduate and post-graduate Physiotherapy Program. She has presented papers at the
National Pediatric Physiotherapy Conferences as well as presentations and workshops in Hong Kong,
Israel, New Zealand and across Australia. Lynn has previously consulted and given training to a
program in Calgary, Canada in 2000. Claire and Lynn have helped to create a variety of published
resources for teachers and therapists, who are educating students with physical disabilities. They
also lecture to undergraduate and postgraduate university therapy and education students.
Melissa Riepsamen (B. Speech Pathology Hons.) is a Speech Language Pathologist who works
for the Cerebral Palsy Education Centre (CPEC) in Melbourne, Australia. She is a certified PODD
presenter and also a mom to three young girls, including twins, one of whom
has Cerebral Palsy. She is a team leader in a trans-disciplinary, family centered
early childhood team in a dynamic ‘active teaching - active learning’ model.
She also has a private practice working with clients with complex
communication needs - from preschool children through to adulthood. She has
more than 10 years experience implementing Augmentative and Alternative
Communication (AAC) in the home, early childhood and school environments.
She has worked extensively with people with motor impairments and sensory
processing challenges as well as children with hearing and/or vision
impairments. Melissa has experience implementing the Pragmatic Organization
Dynamic Display (PODD) system across a wide range of different service delivery models and
includes customized PODD communication books and page sets for speech generating devices to
accommodate individual requirements.
ACTIVE LEARNING FOR LIFE - EARLY STEPS
PRESENTER BIOS

3. 3
Day 1: Learning to Move and Moving to Learn to Communicate
• Key motor issues affecting children with complex physical disabilities.
• Impact on active participation, including weight shift, weight bearing symmetry, disassociation and stability.
• Dynamic assessment, and observation / intervention for children with spasticity, dystonia and hypotonia.
• Impact of sensory processing challenges
• Service delivery model empowering parents and caregivers in the upbringing and education of their child
• Integrated (trans disciplinary) service model where the team problem solves together.
Day 2: Dynamic Assessments and Intervention
• Practical work-shopping of dynamic assessment with videos.
• Video case studies to demonstrate intervention and problem solving in real life situations.
• Strategies for intervention and enabling active participation in all aspects of everyday.
Day 3: Children with Complex Communication Needs – Learning to Communicate
• Identification of the key issues affecting children's communication.
• The use of Aided Language Stimulation to teach communication.
• Knowledge of the wide range of functions of communication.
• Ongoing dynamic assessment process when observing children's communication.
• Open expectations when teaching children learning to use AAC - Alternative & Augmentative Communication
• How to build community capacity in the use of AAC.
• The importance of multi-modal communication.
• Where to begin with intervention, teaching new parents to support their child with complex communication needs.
Day 4: Self Care and Daily Routines
• Identification of the key issues for participation and learning affecting how children can actively participate in self-care
skills and daily routines at home, preschool and community.
• Exploring a range of adapted equipment used for assisting children to participate in self-care activities and daily
routines.
• Working with parents to build daily routines based on the interests, activities and lifestyles of the child and family.
• A parent's perspective: a problem - solving approach to incorporating positional changes and active participation in
self-care activities in the busy daily routine at home.
Day 5: Play and Technology
• Dynamic assessment identifying key issues for participation/learning for children learning to use their hands to play.
• Understanding process and learning involved in teaching children and families about switching.
• Positioning, equipment and facilitations to maximize motor access to play, communication and technology.
• Selecting the movements to teach that will enable independent access.
• Selection and teaching the movements required for direct access methods (eye gaze/hand).
• Selection and teaching of movement required for indirect access methods (switch etc.).
• Exploration of leisure activities on the computer, iPad, infrared toys, etc.
• The developmental process of using an alternative access method and speech generating devices
ACTIVE LEARNING FOR LIFE - EARLY STEPS
5 DAY WORKSHOP
August 19th – August 23rd
8:30 AM - 4 PM
www.cpec.org.au

4. 4
The theoretical frameworks, clinical knowledge and strategies demonstrated in this series of
workshops are well supported by and linked to current research; as well as disciplinary
specific and transdisciplinary clinical reasoning and expertise spanning 30 years.
Key Learning Objectives for the 5 Day Workshop:
• Teach, using video, workshop, discussion and feedback, the concept and skill of ongoing
dynamic assessment.
• Identify the key sensory, motor and communication learning requirements for a child with severe
cerebral palsy.
• Set goals that are functional, achievable and can be embedded into daily routines.
• Explore a varied range of teaching/learning strategies that will be effective in the assessment/
intervention process including: motor learning, sensory input, verbal cues, physical assistance,
equipment, daily routine and play.
Learner Outcomes:
• A certain knowledge that all children can learn, no matter how severe their disability and that all
children need to move and actively explore their environment to learn.
• An understanding of the multiplicity of challenges that need to be addressed for a successful
outcome for each child and family.
• An understanding of the concept of ongoing dynamic assessment and the interplay between
observation and intervention.
• Understanding and promoting the importance of a trans-disciplinary, problem solving approach
to meet the needs of young children with severe cerebral palsy and their families.
• Awareness of a range of strategies that can be used to address
individual needs which can then be applied to learning a wide
range of other functional skills.
www.cpec.org.au
With the support of
The Calgary Foundation
&
Cerebral Palsy Association in Alberta
ACTIVE LEARNING FOR LIFE - EARLY STEPS
KEY LEARNER OBJECTIVES AND OUTCOMES
5 Day Workshop
August 19th – August 23rd
8:30 AM - 4 PM