March 2027 - Ei SMART Infant Course
Transform Your Early Intervention Practice with Ei SMART
Early Assessment and Early Intervention for Babies and Young Children at High Risk of Development Challenges. Knowing the evidence is only the beginning.
How do you use early assessment to decide what to do next? How do you turn evidence into individualised intervention for the baby and family you work with?
About this course
The Ei SMART Early Assessment & Early Intervention Course is intensive, evidence-based and highly practical training for physiotherapists, occupational therapists and speech and language therapists working with high-risk infants in neonatal and community settings.
Built around the Ei SMART clinical reasoning framework, the course helps therapists bring together evidence, clinical expertise and parent expertise to understand the whole baby and translate assessment into meaningful, individualised intervention.
40 hours of learning
18 hours online learning + 22 hours intensive face-to-face clinical training
At the heart of the course are three intensive clinical days working with babies and their families at Cerebral Palsy Cymru in Cardiff.
This is an opportunity to move beyond online lectures and case studies and put learning into practice with real babies and families, supported by highly experienced clinicians.
Observe → Understand → Reason → Intervene
Participants learn to recognise what each baby is already doing well, understand where they may benefit from support and use skilled observation, assessment and clinical reasoning to decide what to prioritise and why.
Rather than focusing on a diagnosis or individual area of difficulty, Ei SMART helps therapists understand the baby as a whole and consider how sensory, motor, attention & regulation, communication and relationship needs interact and influence the baby's ability to engage, learn, move, communicate and participate.
See the whole baby.
The Ei SMART framework brings together the baby's interconnected:
S - Sensory
M - Motor
A - Attention & Regulation
R - Relationships
T - Together
Therapists learn to integrate these areas rather than considering them in isolation and to use assessment to guide individualised intervention.
Co-production with parents is fundamental to Ei SMART.
Ei SMART itself was co-founded by parents and clinicians, bringing lived experience together with clinical expertise.
The course supports therapists to recognise parents as experts in their baby and bring together: Parent Expertise + Clinical Expertise + Evidence, agreeing priorities, co-produce meaningful goals and develop intervention that fits the needs and everyday life of the individual baby and family.
What happens in the other 23 hours of baby's life?
A therapy appointment represents only a small part of a baby's life.
Ei SMART helps therapists work with parents to identify developmental opportunities within the interactions, play, movement, positioning, routines and relationships that already make up everyday family life.
The goal isn't to give families more therapy to do. It's to build developmental opportunities into everyday life.
Course Structure
Part 1 - Online learning: 18 hours
A full online study day followed by self-directed learning through pre-recorded teaching and interactive online tutorials.
Part 2 - Face-to-face clinical training: 22 hours over three days
Three intensive days at Cerebral Palsy Cymru Centre in Cardiff, with a strong emphasis on working with babies and families, clinical reasoning, practical application, workshops, case discussion and treatment planning.
The course is led by Betty Hutchon and Christine Barber and the Ei SMART tutor team, bringing decades of clinical experience working directly with babies, children and families alongside extensive national and international teaching experience.
Dates and times for this course
Virtual Introductory Day and tutorial:
Monday 8th March 2027 Introductory Day online 9:00am -5:00pm
Tuesday 9th March 2027 Follow-up tutorial online 6:30pm to 7:30pm
Self-study online lectures follow-up tutorials for both Group 1 & 2:
Tuesday 16th March 2027 - Tutorial 1, 6:30pm to 7:30pm
Tuesday 6th April 2027 - Tutorial 2, 6:30pm to 7:30pm
Tuesday 27th April 2027 - Tutorial 3, 6:30pm to 7:30pm
Tuesday 11th May 2027 - Tutorial 4, 6:30pm to 7:30pm
Practical sessions 2027 (In-person attendance):
You will be assigned to either Group 1 or Group 2. The dates for each group are as follows:
Practical Group 1 Monday 24th May - 26th May 2027, 9:00am to 5:00pm daily
Practical Group 2 Monday 21st June - 23rd June 2027, 9:00am to 5:00pm daily
Attendance of all sessions is mandatory.
Who is this course for?
It is suitable for physiotherapists, occupational therapists and speech and language therapists working with high-risk infants in the NICU and in the community during the first year of life.
What is the cost of this course and how can I pay?
Cost: £1,525.00 per person
For information regarding how you can pay for this course, please email courses@cerebralpalsycymru.org or click the 'Register now' button.
I have further questions regarding this course, who can I speak to?
For any queries please email courses@cerebralpalsycymru.org
How do I book a space on this course?
To register your interest for a place on this course, or to make a booking, please click the 'Register now' button or email courses@cerebralpalsycymru.org
Training that changes practice
100% of surveyed professional trainees reported that the Ei SMART approach would make them a more efficient and effective intervention therapist.
“The hybrid course that we attended online and in Cardiff was transformative to our practice and the service we offer to infants with complex needs.”
Course participant
Key Information
Start Time: This course starts on March 8th 2027 and runs over multiple dates, both online and in person. Please see the 'date and time' information in the event description.
End Time: 3rd June 2027
Event Capacity: Spaces available
Cost: £1,525.00
If you have any questions prior to registration, please email the Courses Team at courses@cerebralpalsycymru.org.
To register for this course, please click the register now button below.
Getting there
This course will be taught remotely, with practical sessions taking place at our Children's Centre.
Get DirectionsOther events
October 2026 - Ei SMART Infant course
Early Intervention and Assessment for Infants and young children at high risk of neurodevelopmental problems – a practical and evidence-based approach.
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If you want to gain deeper understanding about working with children who have cerebral palsy and want to gain ideas on how to make their therapy sessions fun – then this is the course for you!
Therapy and support for children and their families
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.
