Learning the Language of Movement: Movement analysis across development
27 Feb - 27 Feb 2027 @ Live online
Paediatric therapists know that movement rarely tells a simple story: sensory processing, emotional regulation, motor control and cognition all play a role. Postural control sits at the center of this – it’s the foundation for everything a child does functionally. Using the Postural Matrix, a dynamic systems model of postural control, this course explores motor development across the first two years of life. The development of central stability is addressed within the anticipatory system, one of the matrix’s 12 components.
Participants will be introduced to the language of movement analysis through four foundational concepts — central alignment, base of support, initiation of movement, and weight shift — each applied practically across every stage of development. From there, we’ll explore how the Postural Matrix may unfold differently in neurodivergent development, using these same concepts to analyze movement.
A nuanced analysis of movement unlocks essential clinical information about motor output, allowing us to weigh the different – and interconnected – reasons behind what we observe. Movement analysis then becomes an essential clinical skill that strengthens our assessment, goal setting, and treatment skills to benefit every client.
Course objectives:
- Describe the Postural Matrix as a model to understand the interplay between sensory processing, emotional regulation, cognition, and motor control in motor development across the first two years of life.
- Explain the four core concepts of The Postural Matrix and the role of each in understanding the development of postural control and functional movement.
- Compare the previous model of core exercise with our present day, evidence-based understanding of core stability.
- Apply the language of movement analysis to identify central alignment, base of support, initiation of movement, and weight shift within typical motor developmental stages.
- Analyze differences in presentation of the Postural Matrix observed in neurodiverse children.
- Analyze movement patterns observed in neurodiverse clients to identify multiple, potentially interconnected contributing factors influencing motor output.
- Formulate clinical reasoning and treatment considerations based on movement analysis findings, for immediate application in clinical practice.
This course is offered as Day 3 of the Avanti Therapeutics Project Symposium 2027. The conference is open to all interested individuals.
Stay tuned for conference information!