Building on the success of the internationally recognised, evidence-based program we were proud to introduce our first-ever HABIT-ILE program for young children aged 2-5 at Kingswood. The new initiative offers preschool aged children an opportunity to participate in an intensive two-week program designed to enhance their functional skills, independence and confidence.
“Noah has had such an awesome experience at HABIT-ILE. He’s been so excited every day. The parent coaching has been eye-opening and empowering—we now know how to continue his practice at home,” said Noah’s mum, Mona.
To ensure the best possible outcomes for our young clients, CPA team members Sarah Reedman and Erlyn Ye attended a groundbreaking HABIT-ILE research study at The University of Queensland. Led by A/Prof Leanne Sakzewski in collaboration with the Queensland Paediatric Rehabilitation Service, this study explored the effectiveness of HABIT-ILE in two to five-year-old children with bilateral cerebral palsy.
Sarah and Erlyn gained insights into engaging young children in therapy, overcoming barriers to movement, and integrating parents into the process to ensure progress continues beyond the clinic. These learnings helped shape our training materials, clinician education and service delivery for our HABIT-ILE programs.
For the first HABIT-ILE program at Kingswood four children aged 3-5 worked intensively on their individual goals over two weeks. Their goals ranged from dressing, cutting with scissors, to walking up and down stairs and riding a balance bike. Through structured, play-based intervention, our therapists helped each child with their everyday activities.
“Empowering families to take an active role in therapy has been incredibly rewarding. said Sharri, an Occupational Therapist at Kingswood.
The dedication and hard work of the CPA therapy team has been instrumental in bringing this program to life.
“It is a privilege to have the first preschoolers HABIT-ILE at Kingswood. The dedication of our therapy team has been incredible. I am so proud of this program.” said Jess Pola, Kingswood Therapy Manager.
Following the success at Kingswood, CPA is excited to bring the HABIT-ILE program to more locations, Allambie Heights and Croudace Bay in August and Canberra in October. As we continue to refine our approach and train more clinicians, we look forward to seeing even more children and families benefit from this innovative, research-backed intervention.
