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The Basics – Wednesdays  12th, 19th and 26th February 2025

Beyond the Basics – Wednesdays  12th, 19th and 26th March 2025

1:30pm – 3:00pm (Aust EDT)

Brisbane – 12:30pm – 2:00pm (AEST) – Sydney/Melbourne/Canberra/Hobart – 1:30pm – 3:00pm (AEDT) – Darwin – 12 noon – 1:30pm (ACST) –  Adelaide – 1:00pm – 2:30pm (ACDT) – Perth – 10:30am – 12 noon (Aust WST)

Most children gain full control over their bladder and bowel functions between the ages of 2 and 4 years. However, in at least 10% of children, issues such as anxiety, withholding, sensory differences, food intolerances and physiological differences can interrupt continence attainment. Increasingly clinicians are being asked to address continence issues with their clients. Successful management requires consistently applied up-to-date medical knowledge, excellent rapport building, realistic family support, advocacy and interaction with all carers involved.

Introductory Module -The Basics – this workshop module will provide participants with an overview of the clinical management of urinary incontinence, bedwetting and chronic constipation/soiling (encopresis) in children aged 3 – 15 years. Including:

• an overview of toileting milestones and some hints/tricks for addressing issues with establishing initial continence in young children
• utilisation of task analysis (PRPP, Chapparo & Ranka) to aid assessment and set practical intervention goals
• an overview of the aetiology of chronic constipation/ soiling, urinary incontinence and enuresis (bedwetting)
• assessment and intervention knowledge and tools using a medically-informed behavioural management approach
• a package of resources to facilitate clinical implementation

Advanced Module – Beyond the Basics – the advanced module of this workshop will provide participants with the ability to identify, discuss and apply continence strategies for complex cases, including children with developmental and physical diagnoses, and those who fail first-line treatment. This module of the workshop will cover:

• dual diagnosis and presentations contributing to slower progress and intervention failure
• the impact of anxiety, trauma and other socio-emotional aspects on participating in toileting routines
• teaching toileting skills systematically, with effective cues/prompts and cognitive strategies
• organic incontinence: allergy, congenital malformation and neurogenic incontinence
• the external systems involved in toileting skill development – and how to maximise them
• brief overview of continence aids and toileting equipment

Participants for the Advanced module will need to have attended a Learning to Conquer the Wees & Poos (the basics) workshop prior to registering for this advanced module

Workshop Delivery –The workshop will be delivered over 3 weeks (per module) via an integrated system of pre-reading material (eg familiarisation with provided resources), weekly pre-recorded lecture presentations and the scheduled online tutorial sessions.  Participants will need to allocate 1.5 – 2 hours per week for self-study outside the online group sessions. Workshop delivery includes:

• Pre-Reading/Workshop Manuals participants will be mailed a hard copy of the workshop manual which will include:
  • some pre-reading
  • presentation notes, covering the online presentation content as well as the case studies used in the group tutorial sessions
  • numerous resources to assist with implementing workshop content into clinical practice
• Online content one week prior to the online tutorial session, participants will be emailed a link to the pre-recorded online presentation related to the upcoming tutorial session. Presentation content will be 1 – 1½ hours in length – participants are expected to have viewed this content prior to participation in the scheduled group tutorial session (NB. the link to this content will expire on commencement of the accompanying tutorial session).

• On line group tutorial sessions – using Zoom videoconferencing, participants will have the opportunity to link into three/six consecutive interactive tutorials (group discussions, case studies and Q&A sessions) to integrate their newly acquired knowledge and skills. Participants will be emailed the link (including password) to their scheduled sessions.

Participants will need to have access to internet facilities including Zoom and webcam to ensure that they are able to download and view workshop content, as well as actively participate in the on line group tutorials and agree to the online T&C. To fully participate in the interactive components of the group tutorial sessions, participants are encouraged to log on using a tablet, laptop or desk top computer. While utilising a mobile phone to access these sessions is possible, the functionality of the device may limit participants ability to fully engage in the interactive components of the session.

Workshop Recording – Please note to safeguard the copyright of material presented, maintain the confidentiality of case discussions and the privacy of participants, this workshop WILL NOT be recorded. 

This workshop is suitable for occupational therapists, physiotherapists, psychologists, continence advisors, child health nurses and school health nurses.

About the Presenter – Rebecca Khan is an occupational therapist, mother and continence advocate who runs a private allied health clinic in Brisbane, Australia. She has first hand experience with have a tricky body, having lived with Ulcerative Colitis and associated surgical interventions for 20 years. As a volunteer she has facilitated a support group for Crohn’s and Colitis Australia for 10 years.

Rebecca has presented on the topic of paediatric continence for various organisations including Continence Foundation of Australia, Qld Health and Zi Mei Events. She currently sits on the Scientific Committee for the National Conference on Incontinence (CFA).

In 2011, Rebecca authored the clinical resource Conquering Wees & Poos: a learning package for continence clinicians (©Queensland Health 2012) through the Qld Children’s. Rebecca graduated from the University of qld in 2001 and has been assessing, treating and researching best practice for paediatric incontinence since 2002.