Welcome back to Pushing Pediatrics! We have another guest episode this week to bring you knowledge on a topic that has been widely gaining popularity and is now testable material, pediatric pelvic floor. Maggie Abbott, PT, DPT will join us to discuss why PT can make a big difference for children with bladder and bowel dysfunction. We’ll cover age and diagnoses Maggie typically treats, what her initial evaluation includes, interventions of pelvic floor therapy, and more. We will highlight how this subject translates to PCS prep with our “PT pearls” and walk through exam taking techniques. Remember, you’ve got this!
Calvo-Sanz, J., Bouallalene Jaramillo, K., et al. (2025). Electrotherapy in pediatric patients with non-neurological pelvic-floor dysfunction: TENS, biofeedback, and behavioural therapies applied individually or in combination. Journal of Pediatric Urology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpurol.2025.03.158
Wegh, C. A. M., Baaleman, D. F., Tabbers, M. M., Smidt, H., & Benninga, M. A. (2022). Non-pharmacologic treatment for children with functional constipation: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Pediatrics, 240, 136-149.e5. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpeds.2021.09.010
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Thanks for joining us today at the Pushing Pediatrics podcast! Sara is solo today to share some valuable additional clinical insight about Scoliosis. This additional material may or may not be testable information, however it is great to know when treating children with scoliosis in real-world situations. While today’s episode is focusing on scoliosis, if you need a review of other spinal conditions, please see the link below to our episode from Season 3. Background and basics of the different types of scoliosis, evaluating these different types utilizing the Sosort guidelines, non-surgical interventions, and surgical interventions of scoliosis will be discussed in today’s review.
Pushing Pediatrics Season 3: Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) and Spinal Conditions
https://scoliosisjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13013-017-0145-8
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Welcome back to part two of our discussion with CCC-SLPs Marissa Peters and Maggie Muzio about Augmentative and Alternative Communication. As we continue our conversation, Marissa and Maggie go into detail on AAC devices and how PT can play a role in helping children utilize these devices during treatment sessions. We’ll hear what makes for a good co-treat session from an SLP’s point of view and why treating the child as a whole in every session is a key to their success. More “PT Pearls” will be shared along the way plus a bonus exam practice question! The episode closes with main takeaways to apply to your PCS exam preparations.
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This week on Pushing Pediatrics experts Marissa Peters and Maggie Muzio, Certified Speech Language Pathologists, are here to cover Augmentative and Alternative Communication. This topic will be 2 episodes worth of information - so be sure to tune in next week for the second half of our discussion! Today Marissa and Maggie will cover the 3 categories of AAC, how to incorporate AAC into PT therapy sessions, how we as PTs can help identify children needing SLP referrals, and how we can educate parents on AAC within a PT scope of practice. Sara and Shelia add in some “PT Pearls” to help transfer this topic into our pediatric physical therapy realm and how AAC may come up in questions on the PCS exam.
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We are honored to be hosting two of the authors, Carol de Campos and Ginny Paleg, of the 2023 article titled “F-words and early intervention ingredients for non-ambulant children with cerebral palsy: a scoping review” on today’s episode. This article is not only exam relevant for those preparing for the PCS exam, it is also a clinically impactful article. This review gives great insight into how we can competently care for GMFCS IV and V children with the 6 F’s in mind - functioning, fitness, family, fun, friends, and future. Carol and Ginny will elaborate how the F-words of this article translate into PCS prep and exam taking strategies, and also how this article is a roadmap for all PTs to provide thoughtful, evidence-informed decisions for one of the most underserved populations.
De Campos AC, Hidalgo-Robles Á, Longo E, Shrader C, Paleg G. F-words and early intervention ingredients for non-ambulant children with cerebral palsy: A scoping review. Dev Med Child Neurol. 2024 Jan;66(1):41-51. doi: 10.1111/dmcn.15682. Epub 2023 Jun 28. PMID: 37381598.
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Today we are diving into the 2004 article by Joanne Valvano, “Activity-focused motor interventions for children with neurological conditions”. While it is an older article, this article contains a lot of great concepts that continue to influence the way we shape care for pediatric patients with neurological conditions. This article is a must read whether you are new to pediatrics, prepping for the PCS, or revisiting the theory behind pediatric physical therapy!
Valvano, J. (2004). Activity-Focused Motor Interventions for Children with Neurological Conditions. Physical & Occupational Therapy In Pediatrics, 24(1–2), 79–107. https://doi-org.ezproxylocal.library.nova.edu/10.1300/J006v24n01_04
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We know that research and statistics may seem intimidating sometimes, which is why we are tackling this topic together! Understanding statistics is not only important for your board exam prep, but for your clinical practice too. Knowing how to interpret these concepts makes a huge difference when reading studies and applying evidence-based practices. Today we will cover statistical significance, sample size, p-value, and more. Thanks for joining us today, and remember, you’ve got this!
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Welcome to the first Journal Club of Season 5! We are diving into a really interesting article for today’s episode. While new, from 2025, we felt it was an important article to cover because it is a great example of how VR can be incorporated with treating autistic patients and is a great example for us to review how to critique study design aspects and outcomes, which you will need to know how to do to be successful on your PCS exam. Thanks for joining us!
Abdel Ghafar, M. A., Abdelraouf, O. R., Harraz, E. M., Seyam, M. K., Morsy, W. E., Amin, W. M., & Abd-Elfattah, H. M. (2025). Virtual Reality Rehabilitation Helps to Improve Postural Balance in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Randomized Control Trial. Physical & Occupational Therapy In Pediatrics, 45(4), 423–436. https://doi.org/10.1080/01942638.2025.2466555
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If you listened to last week’s episode, we talked about our grouping strategy for genetic syndromes that you’ll need to know for the PCS exam. We had many of our listeners ask for a more in depth review too, so today’s episode will be a deep dive into the 2023 article about 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome. We’ll be reviewing things to know for each system and bring all that knowledge together to discuss how you could see questions about this syndrome on the PCS exam and where it fits into our genetic syndrome grouping method.
Óskarsdóttir, S., Boot, E., Crowley, T. B., Loo, J. C. Y., Arganbright, J. M., Armando, M., Baylis, A. L., Breetvelt, E. J., Castelein, R. M., Chadehumbe, M., Cielo, C. M., de Reuver, S., Eliez, S., Fiksinski, A. M., Forbes, B. J., Gallagher, E., Hopkins, S. E., Jackson, O. A., Levitz-Katz, L., Klingberg, G., … McDonald-McGinn, D. M. (2023). Updated clinical practice recommendations for managing children with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome. Genetics in medicine : official journal of the American College of Medical Genetics, 25(3), 100338. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gim.2022.11.006
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Today’s episode of Pushing Pediatrics is a reference guide to understanding common genetic syndromes you’ll likely see in practice. Instead of memorizing every genetic syndrome while studying, group syndromes with similar clinical themes together. This will not only be easier to study, but will help you think about these syndromes with regards to their functional status and apply them clinically. We’ll be going over some example patient clusters and sharing our “PT pearls” for these groups you should be thinking about while studying for the PCS exam.
Catalino, T., Bloyer, M., Shamus, E., & Miles, C. (Eds.). (2024). Guide to pediatric physical therapy: A clinical approach (1st ed.). McGraw‑Hill Education.
Valvano, J. (2004). Activity-Focused Motor Interventions for Children with Neurological Conditions. Physical & Occupational Therapy In Pediatrics, 24(1–2), 79–107.
Resources discussed in today’s episode can be found on our website.
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Welcome back to Pushing Pediatrics - your favorite study supplementation for the PCS exam! We have had 4 successful seasons thanks to you all, our listeners! And a special thank you to those of you who subscribe to our Friday episodes. We are so excited to be bringing you Season 5 of the Pushing Pediatrics Podcast and plan to make it our best season yet.
Today we are going to dive into the DSP, the Description of Specialty Practice in Pediatric Physical Therapy and how to utilize it as the anchor to your PCS test prep. We’ll be covering tips and strategies on how to be thinking of different aspects of the DSP while studying, a little about what test questions may be like on the PCS exam, and how to integrate your previous clinical knowledge with info from the DSP to think like a pediatric specialist.
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We know it’s getting close to crunch time, which is why we will be going over a couple of case studies today to further help you prepare to take the PCS! We are going to break down these case studies into ways you may see questions presented on the PCS exam, but also to help you apply the knowledge you already have and utilize your memory recall. Do your best to follow along with today’s episodes without your notes! Head over to our Instagram page to see these case studies with prompts listed out, but we will only be going through them in detail on today’s episode!
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This week Sheila and Sara will be going over the equipment available and used for our pediatric patients. This episode will be more general, covering the main types of equipment detailed in Campbell. However, if you are looking for a deep dive, please review the chapter on Assistive Technology in Campbell’s 6th edition. We also have episodes in previous seasons covering the Assistive Technology chapter as well as the information in Campbell’s 5th edition. We bring you this episode knowing some of you have a large experience with equipment and some of you have none. Hopefully this episode will help you along your studying journey! You got this!
Glickman LB, Geigle PR, Paleg GS. A systematic review of supported standing programs. J Pediatr Rehabil Med. 2010;3(3):197-213. doi: 10.3233/PRM-2010-0129. PMID: 21791851.
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Welcome back to Pushing Pediatrics! Today we will be going over the use of orthotics in the pediatric population. While we have discussed orthotics at some length in previous episodes (episode 30 - Down Syndrome and episodes 8 & 10 - Pathological Gait), we feel this subject deserves its own episode too! Please reference today’s episode in conjunction with your copy of Campbell’s 6th edition and those listed previous episodes for a complete review. We will also be discussing orthotics as it pertains to our own personal practice experiences. We hope you find today’s episode helpful!
Weber A, Martin K. A systematic review of the efficacy of orthoses for children with hypotonia. Pediatr Phys Ther. 2014;26:38-47.
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We have another article review to bring to you on today’s episode! As there is yet to be a clinical practice guideline (CPG) for this patient population, this article gives a great insight into how current PTs manage children with down syndrome, what assessment tools they utilize, and interventions they prioritize. Sheila and Sara will explore the contents of this paper and discuss the implications for clinical practice as well as board exam preparation.
“Johnson R, Looper J, Fiss A. Current Trends in Pediatric Physical Therapy Practice for Children With Down Syndrome. Pediatric Physical Therapy. 2021;33(2):74-81. doi:10.1097/PEP.0000000000000781”
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Thanks for joining today for another episode of Pushing Pediatrics. Today Sara and Sheila will be reviewing an article you can find below in the show notes on the effectiveness of serial casting and ankle foot orthosis for toe walking children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. We will be discussing the methodology, results, and implications for practice as Pediatric Physical Therapists. Our intent for this review is to provide some actionable insights for practicing PTs but also to cover some board exam prep as this is a newer article that could be testable material. We hope you find today’s episode helpful!
“Barkocy M, Schilz J, Heimerl S, Chee M, Valdez M, Redmond K. The Effectiveness of Serial Casting and Ankle Foot Orthoses in Treating Toe Walking in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder. Pediatric Physical Therapy. 2021;33(2):83-90. doi:10.1097/PEP.0000000000000784”
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Sheila and Sara are back from holiday break with a new episode! Today we will be breaking down the different classifications of Myelomeningocele from the article listed below in the show notes and discussing why it is so relevant for Pediatric PTs. Don’t forget to join us for our subscription only episode on Friday to test your knowledge from this episode!
“Rojas AM, Karakostas T. Myelomeningocele: a new functional classification. J Child Orthop 2021;15:1-5. DOI: 10.1302/1863-2548.15.200248”
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Today on the podcast we are welcoming back a familiar face, Helen Carey, PT, DHSc, PCS, assistant professor at South College in Knoxville, TN. Before dedicating herself fully to the academic field, she previously developed and directed the pediatric physical therapy residency program at Ohio State University and worked in research labs and other pediatric physical therapy settings. Having held her certification in pediatric physical therapy since 1999, Helen has a wealth of knowledge in this field and is going to discuss outcome measures with us in today’s episode.
Check out Rehab Knowledge PCS Advantage for study guides and practice exams!
Resources discussed in today’s episode can be found on our website
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We have the pleasure of welcoming Cameron Brown, PT, DPT, PCS back to the podcast this week! She previously was on to discuss her process of taking the PCS exam. She currently teaches at West Coast University assistant teaching their DPT program and works in outpatient early intervention pediatric PT. Cameron is going to be sharing with us and breaking down Hypothesis-Oriented Pediatric Focused Algorithm on today’s episode and its special considerations for our pediatric populations.
https://academic-oup-com.ezproxylocal.library.nova.edu/ptj/article/93/3/413/2735433?login=false
https://www.apta.org/your-career/careers-in-physical-therapy/pt-moves-me
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SAFETY LISTENER NOTE:
This presentation will discuss aspects of trauma, its impact on children, families and practitioners. We acknowledge that the content in this discussion may trigger your previous experiences with trauma or the trauma that your patient’s have experienced. We encourage you to perform self-care practices even within this podcast; if you need to take a break and pause, please do so as you need.
Today is the continuation of Sheila and Sara discussing Trauma Informed Care with Katelyn McNamara-Kays PT, DPT, PCS and Bridget Griffin, PT, DPT, PCS. Kate works at a level 1 pediatric trauma center in Louisville, Kentucky and Bridget works at a large children’s hospital in the pediatric ICU in Cincinnati, Ohio. If you have not listened to last week’s episode, please go back and listen to part 1 and then come back to today’s episode for part 2 as we wrap up our discussion of Trauma Informed Care.
Links and Resources:
Trauma-Informed Care Fact sheet 1
Trauma-Informed Care Fact sheet 2
“Trauma-Informed Care in Pediatric Physical Therapy as a Standard Precaution: The Time Is Here”
“What Happened To You” by Dr. Bruce D. Perry, MD, PHD, and Oprah Winfrey
“In Shock: My Journey from Death to Recovery and the Redemptive Power of Hope” by Dr. Rana Awdish
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