How I Stay Up to Date Working With Kids With Complex Bodies and Families
Working with children who have complex physical disabilities – and the families who support them – means our learning can’t stop once we leave university.
The clinical situations we’re navigating are layered. Assistive technology and equipment options are evolving. Family goals shift over time. Systems like the NDIS change. And each child brings something new that challenges how we think.
Because of that, staying current as a paediatric occupational therapist isn’t just about ticking CPD boxes. It’s about building habits that keep your clinical reasoning growing.
I’m often asked by early and mid-career OTs how I stay up to date in this space, particularly therapists who are starting to work with children with complex physical needs or equipment prescription. So I thought I’d share some of the ways I approach ongoing learning in my own practice.
The truth is, most weeks I’m learning something. Nearly every work day there’s something new – from a client, from my team, from a podcast, or from reading up on a specific clinical question. But about once a month I come across something that genuinely shifts my thinking and changes how I approach my work with kids and families.
Here are some of the ways that happens.
Clinical supervision (for my own practice)
Even as a senior clinician, clinical supervision is still one of the most valuable ways I learn.
Good supervision creates space to unpack complex cases, question assumptions, and think more deeply about the decisions we’re making. Sometimes it confirms your thinking; other times it challenges it in really helpful ways.
When you’re working with complex paediatric clients, especially in smaller teams or solo roles, that reflective space can make a huge difference to both clinical confidence and clinical quality.
If stellar clinical supervision is something that feels missing in your learning plan, or you’re interested in a fresh perspective to prompt deeper reflection and strengthen your work with complex children and families, you can find out more about supervision with a Kids + Co.Lab senior OT here.
Attending disability and assistive technology expos
Seeing assistive technology (AT) and equipment in real life makes a huge difference.
I try to attend several disability and AT expos each year because it gives me the opportunity to see what’s new on the market, talk directly with suppliers, and actually touch and trial equipment without the pressure of being in front of a client.
Some of the events I regularly attend include:
Source Kids Expo (Brisbane)
Regional Disability Expo on the Sunshine Coast
ATSA Expo (which I’m heading to in Brisbane this year)
The Paediatric OT Conference later this year
These events are incredibly useful for understanding how equipment actually functions, not just how it looks in a catalogue. They’re also a great way to maintain relationships with suppliers, which often becomes valuable when problem-solving tricky NDIS equipment prescriptions or when asking for a favour like a tight turn around on a quote or longer trial.
Reading journal articles
Journal articles are still one of the best ways to deepen clinical reasoning, but they can be hard to keep up with if you rely on stumbling across them.
One simple trick is setting up Google Scholar alerts using keywords related to your area of practice – things like paediatric disability, assistive technology, participation, or postural management. When new research is published, it lands directly in your inbox.
I don’t read everything that comes through, but every so often something appears that sparks a new line of thinking or gives evidence to support a clinical decision.
Learning from international thought leaders
LinkedIn has become a surprisingly useful learning space.
There are some incredible clinicians, researchers and advocates internationally who share insights, reflections and new research in very accessible ways. Following people who are thinking deeply about paediatric disability, child development and participation often leads me down new learning paths I wouldn’t have found otherwise.
Sometimes it’s a short post that prompts a rethink. Other times it sends me off reading papers or exploring new frameworks.
Supplier newsletters and training
Many assistive technology suppliers provide newsletters that include product updates, but they also frequently run free training for therapists.
Things like MAT assessment training, equipment education sessions and product deep-dives can be really useful, especially when you’re working in the more specialised area of paediatric equipment prescription.
It’s also one of the easiest ways to stay aware of what’s coming to market.
Learning from my team
One of the things I value most at Kids + Co.Lab is the culture of sharing and reflection.
At our team meetings we always include a “wins and learnings” section where therapists bring something that went well, or something they’re still thinking about.
Sometimes it’s a small clinical insight. Other times it’s a big reflection about family engagement or equipment trials. Either way, we all learn from each other.
When you add up the collective experience of a team, it’s actually thousands of hours of clinical learning being shared. Our team are what makes working at Kids + Co.Lab special!
Podcasts (lots of them)
Podcasts have become one of the easiest ways to keep learning in the background of everyday life. You’ll often find me with headphones in while tidying up after my kids at the end of the day.
Some of the ones I’ve been enjoying lately include:
OT Unplugged
Wired on Development
ListenAble
Two Sides of the Spectrum
For business and leadership thinking I also enjoy:
Dare to Lead with Brené Brown
Allied Health Business Brilliance
Podcasts won’t replace deeper learning, but they’re a great way to stay connected to ideas and conversations happening across our profession.
Larger workshops and formal CPD
Alongside all the small weekly learning moments, I also try to attend one or two larger CPD workshops or paediatric OT courses each year.
These are the opportunities to step back from day-to-day work, immerse yourself in a topic, and really stretch your thinking.
Those deeper learning experiences often end up shaping how I practice for years afterwards.
If equipment prescription is an area you want to grow in
One area many therapists tell me they feel under-prepared for is assistive technology and equipment prescription for children.
If that’s something you’re navigating, I recently ran a webinar called:
“Families, Function, Future: Children’s Equipment Prescription from Referral to Real Life.”
It walks through the practical process of paediatric equipment prescription – from the first referral through to making sure equipment actually works in a child’s everyday life.
It’s designed particularly for therapists who are newer to paediatric equipment – whether you’re an early career OT or an experienced therapist who has moved into this space more recently.
You can access the on-demand webinar on paediatric equipment prescription here.
Working with children with complex physical disabilities and their families is incredibly rewarding work, but it does require ongoing learning and reflection.
The good news is that learning doesn’t have to come from just one place. When you combine clinical supervision, peer learning, research, conferences and everyday curiosity, it becomes a rich and sustainable way to keep growing as a paediatric occupational therapist.
And often, the most valuable learning comes from simply staying curious about the work we do every day.
If you’re an Occupational Therapist in Australia working with children with complex disabilities, staying connected to supervision and CPD can make a huge difference to your clinical confidence.