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An educational podcast for pediatric physical therapists: created to help those studying for the pediatric certified specialist exam (PCS), and anyone else interested in learning more about pediatric physical therapy.
Copyright: © Sheila Madden and Sara Bellanca Karman
Another incredible guest is on the Pushing Pediatrics Podcast this week! Dylan Gawinski Stern, PT, DPT, PCS joins the show to discuss pain, most specifically AMPS (Amplified Musculoskeletal Pain Syndrome). Persistent pain is a new “hot topic” that is testable material since hosts Sheila and Sara took their PCS exam, which is why they’ve invited an expert to review this topic. Dylan will share her experience working in the AMPS clinic, how to differentiate AMPS from CRPS (Complex Regional Pain Syndrome) as a provider, what the therapy evaluation process looks like for AMPS clinic patients, how to incorporate Trauma Informed Care, and more. This topic will be broken into two, digestible episodes, so be sure to tune in next week for the other half of our discussion on pain.
Dougherty BL, Zelikovsky N, Miller KS, Rodriguez D, Armstrong SL, Sherry DD. Longitudinal Impact of Parental Catastrophizing on Child Functional Disability in Pediatric Amplified Pain. J Pediatr Psychol. 2021 Apr 16;46(4):474-484. doi: 10.1093/jpepsy/jsaa127. PMID: 33491076; PMCID: PMC8056213.
Resources discussed in today’s episode can be found on our website
Use code PUSHINGPEDS for $150 off your Medbridge subscription!
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This episode was brought to you by the Pivot Ball Change Network.
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 patients 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’s episode is part 2 of this season’s Trauma Informed Care series with Katelyn McNamara-Kays PT, DPT, PCS and Bridget Griffin, PT, DPT, PCS. Kate and Bridget were on the show last season sharing their knowledge about TIC. If you haven’t listened to those episodes, they are linked down below - be sure to go and give those a listen, as well as last week’s part 1 of this series. Today Kate and Bridget share the other side of Trauma Informed Care known as Secondary Traumatic Stress and how we experience it as health care providers. Whether there is a big event at work or your role has heavy moments over time, Kate and Bridget will share why it’s important to be taking care of yourself in order to provide the best sessions for our patients.
Season 4: Trauma Informed Care
Season 4: Trauma Informed Care Part 2
Join the APTA Mighty Networks!
Resources discussed in today’s episode can be found on our website
Use code PUSHINGPEDS for $150 off your Medbridge subscription!
Check out our website, and subscribe for our subscription only episodes
Follow us on Instagram
This episode was brought to you by the Pivot Ball Change Network.
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 patients 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.
Sheila and Sara are pleased to be welcoming back Katelyn McNamara-Kays PT, DPT, PCS and Bridget Griffin, PT, DPT, PCS, to discuss Trauma Informed Care. Kate and Bridget were on the show last season sharing their knowledge about TIC. If you haven’t listened to those episodes, they are linked down below - be sure to go and give those a listen. Today Kate and Bridget will be taking us on a deeper dive into Trauma Informed Care and also introduce their newest fact sheet releasing soon! This conversation is loaded with practical ways to incorporate TIC into your daily practice as well as how to translate this concept into PCS exam taking strategies. Be sure to tune in next week for part 2!
Season 4: Trauma Informed Care
Season 4: Trauma Informed Care Part 2
Join the APTA Mighty Networks!
Resources discussed in today’s episode can be found on our website
Use code PUSHINGPEDS for $150 off your Medbridge subscription!
Check out our website, and subscribe for our subscription only episodes
Follow us on Instagram
This episode was brought to you by the Pivot Ball Change Network.
Thanks for joining us for our final installment with Mike Studer. Today we will be wrapping things up and making connections from the concepts found in Mike’s book to our pediatric practices and PCS exam prep. This week is also our last episode of 2025. We hope you have a restful break and we look forward to you joining us in January, 2026 for more episodes!
“The Brain That Chooses Itself” by Mike Studer
Wulf G, Lewthwaite R. Optimizing performance through intrinsic motivation and attention for learning: The OPTIMAL theory of motor learning. Psychon Bull Rev. 2016;23(5):1382-1414. doi:10.3758/s13423-015-0999-9
Resources discussed in today’s episode can be found on our website
Use code PUSHINGPEDS for $150 off your Medbridge subscription!
Check out our website, and subscribe for our subscription only episodes
Follow us on Instagram
This episode was brought to you by the Pivot Ball Change Network.
Welcome back for part 2 of our discussion with Mike Studer where we will be diving even further into the concepts of learning and neuroplasticity and how it applies to our pediatric patients and the PCS exam. Specifically, today, we discuss motivators and the difference between infinite games and other types of play. Mike also shares his list of other readings he considered while writing his new book and would recommend for those looking to take their learning on these concepts a step further! These episodes are full of so many “PT pearls” that will apply clinically and personally, you will not want to miss any of this content! Don’t forget to come back next week for the final episode of our trilogy with Mike.
“The Brain That Chooses Itself” by Mike Studer
"Thinking, Fast and Slow" by Daniel Kahneman
“The Infinite Game” by Simon Sinek
“Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones” by James Clear
“Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance" by Angela Duckworth
Katy Milkman’s book, “How to Change: The Science of Getting Where You Are to Where You Want to Be” and her podcast, Choiceology
Other authors mentioned in today's episode: Jane McGonigal, Ellen Langer, Alia Crum and more listed in Mike Studer’s book
Wulf G, Lewthwaite R. Optimizing performance through intrinsic motivation and attention for learning: The OPTIMAL theory of motor learning. Psychon Bull Rev. 2016;23(5):1382-1414. doi:10.3758/s13423-015-0999-9
Resources discussed in today’s episode can be found on our website
Use code PUSHINGPEDS for $150 off your Medbridge subscription!
Check out our website, and subscribe for our subscription only episodes
Follow us on Instagram
This episode was brought to you by the Pivot Ball Change Network.
This week kicks off a very special three-part conversation with our friend and returning guest Mike Studer. Over the next three episodes, we will be diving into concepts from Mike’s new book, “The Brain That Chooses Itself”, like learning and neuroplasticity. These concepts thoroughly apply to how we clinically treat our pediatric patients, but also how we parent, how we teach and coach friends and family, and how we prepare for the PCS exam. These episodes are full of so many “PT pearls” that will apply clinically and personally, you will not want to miss these episodes! And of course, we will be connecting all of this incredible information to PCS exam prep strategies.
“The Brain That Chooses Itself” by Mike Studer
"Thinking, Fast and Slow" by Daniel Kahneman
Wulf G, Lewthwaite R. Optimizing performance through intrinsic motivation and attention for learning: The OPTIMAL theory of motor learning. Psychon Bull Rev. 2016;23(5):1382-1414. doi:10.3758/s13423-015-0999-9
Resources discussed in today’s episode can be found on our website
Use code PUSHINGPEDS for $150 off your Medbridge subscription!
Check out our website, and subscribe for our subscription only episodes
Follow us on Instagram
This episode was brought to you by the Pivot Ball Change Network.
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
Resources discussed in today’s episode can be found on our website
Use code PUSHINGPEDS for $150 off your Medbridge subscription!
Check out our website, and subscribe for our subscription only episodes
Follow us on Instagram
This episode was brought to you by the Pivot Ball Change Network.
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
Resources discussed in today’s episode can be found on our website
Use code PUSHINGPEDS for $150 off your Medbridge subscription!
Check out our website, and subscribe for our subscription only episodes
Follow us on Instagram
This episode was brought to you by the Pivot Ball Change Network.
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.
Resources discussed in today’s episode can be found on our website
Use code PUSHINGPEDS for $150 off your Medbridge subscription!
Check out our website, and subscribe for our subscription only episodes
Follow us on Instagram
This episode was brought to you by the Pivot Ball Change Network.
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.
Resources discussed in today’s episode can be found on our website
Use code PUSHINGPEDS for $150 off your Medbridge subscription!
Check out our website, and subscribe for our subscription only episodes
Follow us on Instagram
This episode was brought to you by the Pivot Ball Change Network.
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