2024 Conference
Jul
AusACPDM Pre-Conference Workshops – 31st July
Infinite Horizons: A Workshop for Everyone – Babies to Adults with Cerebral Palsy, Real People to AI Advancements
Wednesday 31st July, 8:30am – 1pm
Presenters:
- Australians with lived experience
- CP-ACHIEVE Team: Reddihough, Imms, Wallen, Morgan, Coghill, Shields
- DRIVE CP team: Novak, Boyd, Sakzewski, Bradford, Fahey, Morgan, Spittle
This workshop will provide participants with updates from the two current Centres for Research Excellence in Cerebral Palsy – CP-Achieve and DRIVE CP. Topics covered include:
- Powerful partnering with people with CP and family members in research (the real people)
- Artificial intelligence – diagnostic opportunities and challenges (the AI)
- Hot off the press – a selection of new CP research findings in brief.
- New studies – what’s coming your way and ways to get involved.
Working cross culturally in maternal and child health: walking the walk, not just talking the talk
Wednesday 31st July, 8:30am – 1pm
Presenters:
- LEAP Team: Dr Kath Benfer, Ms Carly Luke, Ms Leeann Mick-Ramsamy, Ms Jesse-Lee Richards, Ms Martika Takken, Ms Ellena Oakes
- Strong Families Cohort: A/Prof Kym Rae, Ms Davina Smith, Prof Sandra Eades
- ENVISAGE First Peoples Team: Prof Laura Miller, Ms Rebecca Tamaariki, Prof Christine Imms
- A/Prof Sue Wolfenden
This workshop draws on the experiences of teams with extensive experience in First Nations and refugee/ migrant maternal and child health programs, from both service-delivery and research perspectives. A panel discussion will elucidate a toolkit for competent cross-cultural practice, including use of engaging words and effective communication, the role of culture in health beliefs and decision-making, exploring clinician attitudes and assumptions, considerations for culturally responsive models of care, and ensuring cultural safety.
Date: 31 July - 31 July
Location: Cairns
Register nowJul
AusACPDM Pre-Conference Workshops – 30th July
Implementing early intervention for infants (0-2 years) at risk of adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes
Tuesday 30th July, 8:30am – 4:30pm
Presenters: Prof Roslyn Boyd, Prof Stacey Dusing, Dr Sue Greaves, Prof Andrea Guzzetta, Dr Cathy Morgan, Prof Iona Novak, Prof Alicia Spittle
This workshop is aimed at clinicians (allied health and medical) and parents of young children at high risk of adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes. It will focus on the practical implementation of early intervention to improve a range of neurodevelopmental outcomes for at risk infants born preterm and/or with cerebral palsy or Cerebral Visual Impairment (CVI). The workshop will focus on key principles informing early intervention and the latest evidence-based trials conducted with infants with cerebral palsy and/or born preterm. Throughout the workshop there will be a strong focus on practical strategies using illustrative case studies and the use of assessments to inform the choice of intervention strategies that are most appropriate to individualise therapy.
The four targeted early intervention areas will include:
- Goals Activity Motor and Environmental Enrichment (GAME) for all infants at high risk of CP;
- Two upper limb therapy approaches for infants with or at high risk of unilateral CP (modified constraint-induced movement therapy – Baby-CIMT and bimanual therapy -Baby-BIM) in REACH;
- Early intervention for preterm infants – SPEEDI and TEDI-PREM;
- Assessment and intervention strategies for infants with Cerebral Visual Impairment (VISIBLE).
Promoting Wellbeing for children, young people and their families: A practical approach
Tuesday 30th July, 8:30am – 4:30pm
Presenters: Dr Giuliana Antolivich, Dr Jasneek Chawla, Dr Sue McCabe, Jacqui Barfoot, Grace Kirby, Assoc Prof Adrienne Harvey, Amy Hogan, Georgie Henry, Hannah Diviney
This workshop will explore and promote the importance of wellbeing for children and their families from early childhood through to adulthood. It will provide research updates and an evidence-based practice approach exploring pain, fatigue and sleep. The importance of good physical health, participation in physical activity and good mental health will be addressed. Participants will hear from panellists with lived experience and research and clinical experts in the fields of sleep, pain, fatigue, wellbeing and participation across childhood disability. The workshop aims to provide clinicians with a range of tips, tricks and tools that can be implemented in clinical practice.
Date: 30 July - 30 July
Location: Cairns
Register nowJul
12th AusACPDM Biennial Conference: Respect Respond Reimagine
On behalf of the Australasian Academy of Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine (AusACPDM) we invite and welcome you to the 12th AusACPDM biennial conference hosted from Cairns, traditional lands of the Gimuy Wluburra Yidinji and Yirrganydji people, Australia July 30-August 4, 2024.
The conference theme Respect, Respond, Re-imagine embodies the values and visions of our Academy. Treating people with developmental disabilities and their families, First Nation’s people, each other and the environment with respect, ensuring that we respond to families’ needs, requests and priorities, and re-imagining a world where people with a neurological condition don’t actually have a disability because our world is fully accessible and ableism does not exist.
Our scientific program is starting to be developed in partnership with professionals across many disciplines and families and people with developmental disability. The program will offer a broad range of cutting-edge international research, best practice interventions, knowledge translation and inclusion, from both high and low resource settings.
We invite you to connect, communicate and collaborate, before, during and after the conference. COVID-19 continues to impact people but one of the few positives was the move to more accessible “virtual” education offerings. For this reason, the conference will be fully hybrid. You will be able to attend in person or virtually – whatever is most beneficial for you.
We are aiming to run our first carbon neutral conference. If you choose to join us in person we invite you to help us do this by reducing avoidable greenhouse gas emissions and waste, plus compensating through carbon offsetting. For some, attending virtually is also seen as more sustainable for the environment, another reason for the hybrid format. We will help you take on this mission – stay tuned for updates on the website. This is a very special part of the world, and we must leave no footprints at the end of the conference.
You will see changes on the website as we develop the program and we will continue to update you via e-zines and web notices. Please put the Conference website on your ‘quick-links’ and sign up for our e-zines to keep informed.
We look forward to working, learning and collaborating with you,
Sarah McIntyre, Alicia Spittle & Kirsty Stewart.
on behalf of the “Respect, Respond, Re-imagine” Organising committee



Date: 31 July - 3 August
Location: Cairns, Far North Queensland
Register now More details