Online & Face-to-Face
Movement Analysis & Education Strategies for the Treatment of Children with Cerebral Palsy
and similar neuro-developmental conditions’
A specialist course for Paediatric Therapists (PT,OT,SLT) who want to gain new insights, increased knowledge and develop their clinical reasoning and treatment skills for children with Cerebral Palsy and similar neurodevelopmental conditions.
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Gain new knowledge
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Learn to treat dynamically
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Develop creative thinking
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Gain new ways to inform and guide parents
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Acquire new observation and analytical skills
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Develop an extensive repertoire of new treatment strategies
Become an Expert: Following successful completion of this course, therapists will be able to provide an expert, individualised ‘hands-on’ treatment to promote the development of skills in terms of mobility, hand function, constructive play, interaction and communication, for each child with Cerebral Palsy.
Therapists and Doctors recommend this Course – a new and pioneering approach to the treatment and management of children with CP.
Dates :
Part 1: 12 – 23 September 2022 Online – live and interactive
Part 2: 10 – 21 October 20212 Face-to-Face, London
Length of Course: 4-Week ( 20 Days) Postgraduate course, in two parts of two weeks.
Each week is 5 Days, Monday to Friday.
Week 1 12-16 September
Week 2 19-23 September
Week 3 10-14 October
Week 4 17-21 October
It is very helpful for Participants’ learning to plan and make arrangements to use the period between Part 1 and Part 2 to put into practice the knowledge and skills gained in Part 1, before returning for Part 2.
Venue: Part 1 – Online via Zoom, UK Time
Part 2 – Face-to-Face, London (North or East London to be confirmed)
Course Participants: up to 18 max. only
Course Fee:
Early Bird Fee: £ 2,650.00
Regular/ Late Fee: £2,950.00
- 5% Discount per participant for any two colleagues from the same workplace that register together.
Early Bird Ends 20 August 2022
Regular/Late Registration full amount is due by 5 September 2022
Apply:
For further information and for an Application Form, contact Course Organiser:
Jonathan Salsbury MIoD Development Manager, MAES Therapy International
E: jsalsbury@maestherapy.com
Course Lead by Jean-Pierre Maes and M.A.E.S. Team:
Jean-Pierre Maes MCSP, Consultant Neuro-Developmental Physiotherapist, Director MAES Therapy International
Jean-Pierre is an expert in the field of Cerebral Palsy and similar neuro-developmental conditions, with over 30 years’ experience of treating babies, children and adults. He was a Senior NDT- Bobath Tutor – one of the most experienced and influential international Senior Tutors and regular Course Leaders.
However, Jean-Pierre wanted to progress and improve the treatment of children further and so he decided to leave NDT-Bobath and now practices and teaches the pioneering M.A.E.S. Therapy Approach.
Due to demand, he now leads M.A.E.S. Courses world-wide, teaching the advanced MAES Therapy Approach for paediatric therapists who want to specialise, or to further specialise, in the treatment of children with CP and similar neurodevelopmental conditions and who want to gain deeper knowledge and expert clinical skills.
Course Participant’s Criteria:
Participants must be experienced Paediatric Therapists (Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, Speech Therapists) or medical Doctors (paediatricians, neurologists), with at least two years’ experience in treating children with Cerebral Palsy and similar neurological conditions.
The course will appeal to therapists who are about to take their first postgraduate cerebral palsy physiotherapy course, as well as to very experienced therapists who have already taken several specialist courses (e.g. Conductive Education, Vojta, NDT-Bobath, Sensory Integration, etc.).
Course Format:
Presented at post-graduate level, this certified CP paediatrics course is very ‘hands-on’. The format will include theoretical lectures, treatment demonstrations, workshops, case presentations and supervised daily practical sessions with patients during weeks 2, 3 and 4.
Unique of its kind, this neurodevelopmental course has a strong emphasis on high-level observation, analysis and clinical skills. There is an unusually high level of supervised practical sessions (almost 50% of time), with a wide variety of case presentations, giving depth and breadth to the learning experience.
The course is specially designed to give participants time to translate theory into clinical practice and become expert in handling and managing their clients with neuro-developmental conditions.
Course Aims:
This course aims to:
- Provide a ‘Framework’ for an effective assessment and better understanding of the challenges and needs of children with Cerebral Palsy (CP) and similar neurodevelopmental conditions
- Gain expertise in analysis of coordination and effective and structured clinical reasoning skills.
- Analyse Tasks in term of fine and gross motor, sensory, perceptual, biomechanical and cognitive components.
- Relate the quality of execution of given tasks to the specific skills that the child has been able to develop and use to accomplish these tasks.
- Predict motor behaviour (prognosis) based upon an in-depth analysis of typical presentations associated to spastic hypertonia, dyskinetic CP, ataxia, hypotonia and CP associated with preterm birth.
- Understand the short and long-term consequences for the child to engage in complex activities, when the skills available are missing and consequently for therapists to establish priorities and short and long-term treatment plans to change the child’s natural course of development.
- Develop high-level problem-solving skills to provide each child with specific sensory-motor experiences to make best use of their own potential for improvement.
- Prioritise and identify which specific skills a child is missing and that need to be promoted and at the same time discouraging the compensatory strategies this child is over-relying upon and which prevents the development of more advanced skills.
- Expand creative thinking and develop an extensive repertoire of treatment strategies and skills, which can then be applied more confidently in a range of situations to enable the child to learn new ways that he would have difficulty or not be able to develop on his own.
- Effectively inform and guide parents during treatment sessions, including the use of toys for play and advise them how to best interact with their child during activities of daily living in a home environment.
Development of clinical skills:
Throughout the 4 weeks Therapists will have:
20 x Practical Sessions with 1 child being treated by 2 or 3 therapists.
Therapists generally work in pairs with 1 child at a time and throughout the course they have a variety of children with different presentations of Cerebral Palsy.
20 x Treatment Workshops ( Therapists’ live Case Presentations )
There will be a total of between 25 – 30 different children with Cerebral Palsy to treat during Part 2, allowing a high level of supervised practical sessions, allowing participants to link theory into practice and become expert in analysis and handling.
Therapists and Doctors recommend this Course:
The best accreditation is from fellow professionals who judge and value the course and the new knowledge and skills they gain.
Below are a few comments from some therapists who have successfully completed the M.A.E.S. 4-Week Course :
“This is the course that I would really like to have taken earlier in my career, as it would have saved me many years of searching for answers to my questions about Cerebral Palsy.”
“The M.A.E.S. Foundation Course has provided the most detailed and comprehensive teaching on cerebral palsy of any course, or ‘on the job’ training I have ever received. It has changed my understanding of children’s presentations and has provided clear information on why we should view CP from the brain perspective, rather than take secondary effects of the brain lesion as a starting point in therapy.
Lectures practical sessions and workshops have complimented one another to broaden our knowledge and help us think clearly and logically when analysing and treating children with cerebral palsy. The organisation and teaching on the M.A.E.S Course have been fantastic. I strongly recommend this course to all paediatric Therapists treating children with neurodevelopmental conditions.”
Lauren Twin, Highly Specialist Paediatric Physiotherapist, NHS Essex
“I would recommend this M.A.E.S. Course to any therapist who feels there is something missing in what they do. I have learnt more on this course then I ever expected to. I am now a different and more effective therapist. I felt something was missing in my treatment approach and this course has filled that gap. All therapists should complete this course and none would regret it.”
Chris Taylor, NHS Community Paediatric Physiotherapist, Kent, UK
“The content and flow of the course was excellent, giving me the chance to understand the importance of looking at the child holistically, to understand why they move in the way they do and to link psychology behind their movements. Using the M.A.E.S. Framework, I will be able to understand my patients deeply, identifying the skills they are missing or they are over relying upon. The M.A.E.S Course gives Therapists new insights to stop treating symptomatically and to find the real cause of the problem and to start looking from the child’s perspective. It’s time to start thinking out-of-the-box!”
Christina Zapantioti, Paediatric Physiotherapist, London
“The M.A.E.S. Course has been one of the most ‘intense’ professional experiences I have had. It has really challenged my thinking, problem-solving and clinical analysis. However, I genuinely believe it is an approach which is truly holistic, which is what these children need. The beneficial impact of the input is easy to see.
It was very useful to deepen my knowledge base and understanding of CP and to understand why often treatments are not progressing within our current caseload. Occasional ‘lightbulb moments’! To really begin to acknowledge and understand the psychology of movement. The M.A.E.S. Framework helps you understand what skills the child is missing when the different parts of the brain are affected, hence beginning to direct clinical analysis and treatment more specifically and effectively. The framework helps to add structure to analysis, problem-solving and treatments. M.A.E.S. helps to direct therapists to the primary impairments rather than constantly fighting the secondary complications. Highly recommended.”
Clare Morkill, Team Lead Children’s Physiotherapy, Provide social enterprise covering NHS patients in mid Essex
“This course is by far the best learning experience I have ever had. I never expected to learn this much. I have a totally new and much more or in understanding cerebral palsy and how this impacts on children in and holistic way. It has also given a very detailed framework to analyse children with CP and how to then provide a very individualised treatment approach.
I now understand why I need to approach children with CP in different ways, depending upon the lesion in the brain.
The tutors have all been excellent and are very supportive, especially if you are finding something challenging. If someone has the chance to attend this course, then they should. This MAES Course is really good value for money for all that you get in return, as well as the ongoing support your provided with. Highly recommended ! “
Hannah Westwood, Highly Specialist Paediatric Occupational Therapist, NHS Essex
“This M.A.E.S. Course completely changed the way I look at children with cerebral palsy (or similar). It makes you read activate your thought processes in a holistic way, gives you a framework to base your clinical reasoning upon and treatment strategies and principles to takeaway and explore further.
The M.A.E.S. Framework really helps to structure your thought process and to keep it individualised, even when the child’s presentation is similar to others. It keeps you focused on identifying missing skills and upgrading these. The course is really ‘hands on’, so you can learn in your own way. It is suitable for a wide variety of professions as it is holistic.”
Jo Nye, Specialist Paediatric Physiotherapist, Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust
“I am NDT- Bobath trained and was looking for a course to ‘fill in the gaps’ that NDT doesn’t cover and to enable me to better treat the most complex children on my caseload; this course did this brilliantly. The course was excellent and I would highly recommend it to any therapist who is committed to developing their practice to the highest level. ”
R. Davis, Senior Physiotherapist, NDT-Bobath Therapist, London, UK
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“My understanding and approach to children with CP has changed for the better. Rather than seeing specific problems with, for example, muscles, movements, ‘spasticity’, I now have a better understanding of these as ‘symptoms’ and that therapy focus needs to be on the fact that the brain is the problem and therefore understanding how this affects the child and their movements is essential.
I enjoyed the small group and I enjoyed the video analyses as it gave more examples then we could have had from just our practical sessions and workshops and they also illustrated MAES Therapy in action and how to progress.
I would highly recommend this course to all of my colleagues, including OTs.
This course will be a complete turn around point in any therapist’s career, whether they are very experienced or more recently starting to work with children with CP. It makes you think and understand CP from the brain rather than looking at symptoms of only and as a therapist you’ll be up to progress your Child’s potential more.
You will also understand the importance of play and using toys as part of your therapy. It is amazing how much you can learn and change as a therapist in four weeks!
I am very excited to continue working with children with CP following this course.”
Michelle Jordan , Senior Physiotherapist, Surrey, UK
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“I have found the M.A.E.S. THERAPY Course to be very helpful and was thrilled by the way that it encompasses the principles of embodiment (embodied cognition) and principles of learning, MAES is very update with modern neuroscience.
I hope that the enthusiasm and the knowledge of MAES Therapy will spread.
I would highly recommend this course.”
Tina Bregant, MD, PhD, Paediatrician, Ljubljana, Slovenia, Europe
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“The MAES Course was excellent.
I will go back home and I will be able to understand all my neuro patients better and I will plan my treatment sessions more effectively.
The MAES Therapy Approach and Framework helps you to analyse movement disorders in terms of skills and tasks and to effectively combine motor, sensory and cognition during therapy sessions.”
Beth Campos, Speech & Language Therapist, NDT-Bobath Tutor, Brazil
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“I was hoping to learn new strategies and it has given me that and more! MAES has helped me to understand the ‘things’ I saw and had no explanation for.
The MAES Therapy Approach and Framework is amazing and definitely how I will work in the future with all my patients. I think it makes our treatment much more specific and long lasting! I really think that it is very useful and includes OT more than any other course I have ever attended.
MAES Therapy is very holistic and as an OT I will be able to integrate everything.”
Marli Smit, Occupational Therapist
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“ I would recommend this MAES Therapy Course to all therapists.”
Mihaela Grubišić, Physiotherapist, Occupational Therapist Head of Department Sensory Integration Therapy, Special Hospital for Children with neurodevelopmental and motor disorders. Zagreb, Croatia
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“The MAES Course has completely changed how I understand the different difficulties of CP. It has explained the aspects that could not be explained by other concepts before. It has filled in the ‘gaps’.
“Sometimes in life, you learn some new things that adds to your knowledge and skills and makes you a better therapist. I have known Jean-Pierre for a long time and this is what I expected to gain from the MAES Therapy Course.
I now realise that there is a completely different way of looking at approaching children with CP. One which allows you to take each individual child further in their abilities than any other approach I’m familiar with.
It has given me a new perspective on what ‘holistic treatment’ means. Holistic now means that you look at CP from the child’s brain’s perspective and how the brain coordinates the child’s movement, vision, sensory processing, cognition, play etc.
Treatment therefore has to address all of these aspects as a whole instead of treating different aspects in isolation as a PT, 0T or SLT.
This is a course for all three professions and all three will come away with completely new skills and perception of CP. You will finish the course as a ‘Brain Therapist’ !
It is unbelievable that one can change so much in four weeks!
Thank you JP for pioneering this approach, so that we can have a bigger impact on children with CP.
Anel van der Merwe, MCSP Clinical Specialist Paediatric Physiotherapist
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“The MAES Course has completely changed my approach to cerebral palsy. I feel I have a better understanding of CP. The explanation of the approach and the use of the analogies was clear and from my experience of CP ‘looking for spasticity’ and it not being there – this approach makes sense. I will now be more equipped at treating the whole child and identifying their priorities and now I understand much more about all the factors that contribute to the movement we see and to look further than that. I am a very different therapist and hope to build on this.
This course has changed how I understand cerebral palsy, the impact of play and how to use it to complement what I do and how to use my hands to provide an environment in which a child can develop new skills and opportunities to move
MAES enables you to identify the problem and priority for the child in a holistic way, rather than looking at the physical manifestation you see as the problem.
We saw real differences with children during the course and parents reported a difference at home in transfers and head control. The parents who are at the beginning of the week reported that they only position to their child and equipment and didn’t do ‘therapy’, on day three asked to be shown how they could put this into practice. They saw a difference and wanted to be involved.
The MAES Course is THE course to do. I really look forward to continuing to develop my skills and share this approach to help therapists provide opportunities for children to learn new skills and reach a higher potential.”
Helen King MCSP Paediatric Physiotherapist.
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