Cerebral Palsy Cymru at EACD 2026: Learning, Sharing and Leading
June 03 2026
Cerebral Palsy Cymru’s therapy team recently travelled to Galway to attend the annual scientific meeting of the European Academy of Childhood onset. Disability (EACD), held at the University of Galway. The theme of this year’s conference was “Encourage the young and they will flourish”.
This meeting brought together 1,300 clinicians, researchers, families and experts from across Europe, and the rest of the world, the meeting provided an invaluable opportunity to hear about and discuss the latest developments in childhood onset disability thinking, practice and research.
The team returned home inspired, with new ideas to incorporate into practice, and pleased to be able to challenge and share their own work and thinking. The conference highlighted exciting innovations, emerging evidence, and practical approaches that they are looking forward to exploring further within our services. Watch this space!
A particular highlight was members of the team presenting an Instructional course on Move to Learn. This approach is used in our Let’s Move Together playgroup, where children are given opportunities to use powered mobility toys to gain experience of; using tools and switches, interacting socially, making choices and moving through space.
This session was delivered by Cerebral Palsy Cymru therapists, Kirsty Taylor, Iwona Orlowska and Jenny Carroll, alongside international colleague Lisbet Nielsen from Sweden, an expert in move to learn and models of learning supported through movement and powered mobility. Their Instructional Course was well received generating valuable discussion and demonstrating the importance of international collaboration in improving outcomes for children and young people.
Jenny Carroll, Clinical Champion and Cerebral Palsy Register for Wales, Co-lead, and Dr Sally Jary, Cerebral Palsy Register for Wales, Co-ordinator, were able to link with the leadership teams of other global registers and discuss the latest ideas for developing and sustaining Cerebral Palsy Registers. This will help support the development of our register which will be the first in Great Britain and they hope to start collecting data this year.
Kirsty, also a member of the EACD Family and User Forum Group, contributed to meetings and discussions ensuring that the voices of children, young people and families remain at the heart of EACD, research and service development, encouraging collaboration and co-creation.
Cerebral Palsy Cymru was well represented throughout the conference, with the team engaging in learning, networking and sharing knowledge with colleagues from a wide range of disciplines and countries.
The event concluded on a particularly special note, with Jenny closing the conference in her new role as Chair of the EACD. It was a proud moment to see her leading the closing session and helping to shape the future direction of the organisation.
The EACD Conference reinforced the value of learning from one another, challenging thinking, and working together to improve the lives of children and young people with disabilities.
The team is excited to bring these experiences, ideas and connections back to our services and continue building on the excellent work already taking place.
The team would like to thank the EACD for such an inspiring and memorable event.
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Cerebral Palsy Cymru is a registered charity in England and Wales 1010183. A company limited by guarantee. Registered company in England and Wales 02691690. Registered address: Cerebral Palsy Cymru, 1 The Courtyard, 73 Ty Glas Avenue, Llanishen, Cardiff, CF14 5DX.
