Working with children is one of the most rewarding aspects of physiotherapy practice but it also comes with complex legal, ethical and professional responsibilities. 

Winning the 2025 Yvonne Burns Award has been a deeply personal moment for Alicia Spittle FACP, whose decades-long contribution to paediatric physiotherapy has helped shape clinical practice, research directions and mentoring culture across Australia.

For 25-year-old Yatish Haveri, a move to Australia brought both opportunities and challenges in dealing with his cerebral palsy. 

A quadriplegic, he gets around in his trusty wheelchair and uses a communication device to chat with the world. 

He’s studying Micro Business Management and Operations at TAFE, is active in Scouts and is about to start playing wheelchair football. 

‘I’m thrilled at the chance to join a team soon— it’s going to be an epic next step,’ Yatish says. 

Nicole Kozelj is an advocate for people with disabilities and has lived experience to back it up. 

Nicole has ataxic cerebral palsy (CP), a form characterised by disorganised, jerky movement. 

For children with childhood-onset disabilities such as cerebral palsy (CP), healthcare is typically accessed through a children’s hospital, where they can see all their healthcare providers in one place and a multidisciplinary team coordinates their care. 

VESTIBULAR REHABILITATION 

This course aims to provide an overview of vestibular anatomy and introduce clinicians to the assessment and treatment of individuals with vestibular dysfunction. 

Why is research into concussion in children and adolescents particularly important? 

Concussions are among the most common injuries both in contact and collision sport and in children and adolescents. 

Dr Sarah Grimshaw APAM is a physiotherapist and postdoctoral researcher at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne. 

She has a keen interest in paediatric oncology, physical activity interventions and the impact of cancer treatments on children’s physical function and participation.