INTERNATIONAL BOBATH INSTRUCTORS TRAINING ASSOCIATION
An international association for adult neurological rehabilitation
February Newsletter
Executive Committee News:
Dear members,
In our recent AGM, we concluded that IBITA can only be successful if every individual member makes an active contribution to the organization. This is done primarily by participating in surveys, reading newsletters and emails and responding to questions. The Nomination Committee opened a survey in December 2024. So far, NomCom received 7 responses to this survey. The survey is included once again in this Newsletter. May I urge you to fill out this survey as soon as possible.
Thank you, Marc Michielsen, Chairperson.
Congress and AGM 2025 in Tokyo, Japan
The 41 IBITA AGM will be held on Friday 29th August 2025 at “KFC Hall and Rooms” in inside of “Daiichi Hotel Rygoku”. The main place for the meeting will be held at the 3rd floor of this building.
The Congress will open on Wednesday evening 27th August with a Welcome party. This will be followed by educational days on 28th and 30th August and the AGM on 29th August.
Here is the LINK for detailed information.
Registration will be opening at 1st April 2025.
Join our new IBITA WhatsApp Community
We are growing – 151 members are already part of the community!
This platform is designed to provide a quick and reliable way to keep all our instructors around the world informed with the latest updates, announcements, and important information from the Executive Committee.
Link to Join the IBITA WhatsApp Community
Donations for scientific initiatives
Please find attached the letter from the Chairperson related to scientific initiatives LINK
Course Exemptions
Please submit all course exemption requests to the IBITA Chairperson Marc Michielsen – [email protected]
Conferences and Congresses
We recommend that information regarding interesting and relevant upcoming conferences and congresses, as well as online educational courses, be forwarded by membership to the IBITA.
Publishing Courses
Please do not forget to publish the basic and advanced courses you are teaching in 2025/2026. Please publish all the co-instructors or/and instructor candidates who are actively involved in teaching. We have a lot of requests from all over the world and if we don’t know where courses are running, we cannot help with further information! If you need help, please contact the IBITA Secretary Victor Urquizo – [email protected]
Education Committee
We are glad to announce a webinar by Sofia Marques and Julie Vaughan-Graham about
“The Bobath concept (NDT) in adult neurorehabilitation: a scoping review of conceptual literature.”
This review provides an updated Bobath clinical framework that gathers the theoretical foundations and clinical practice principles that require careful consideration in the design of future intervention studies.
Sofia and Julie will talk about the different themes in the review and what it can mean for future studies related to the Bobath concept. We hope that it can inspire us to make the foundation of the Bobath concept more solid.
The webinar will take place on
UTC,Lisbon: March 1th on 1 PM
Toronto: March 1th on 8AM
CET: March 1 th on 2PM
Japan: March 1th on 10PM
Melbourne: March 2th on 0AM
Wellington: March 2th on 2AM
Please look at wordclock for other timezones.
The link is:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85937920079?pwd=BFOzQhPtzYDWZYo4RGmbjClCjiC0iY.1
Meeting ID: 859 3792 0079
Passcode: 689762
Thank already for putting it on the agenda,
Instructor Training Committee
2025 Japan
Module Registration is now open!
BCIC Registration Document LINK – This Module is close to full. Please register ASAP to avoid disappointment
ACIC Registration Document LINK
The ITC is happy to be offering 2 planned Modules this year in Tokyo, Japan.
Registration information can be found on the IBITA homepage and the tab Instructor training / ITC Modules
Please note this year registration will close on 15th April 2025. This is earlier than in previous years.
Each module has pre-module work group work that will be provided once registration closes.
Pre-Congress ACIC-Module
TITLE: Task analysis as a tool for developing advanced clinical reasoning in the Bobath-Concept.
DATES: Sunday August 24 to Wednesday August 27, 2025
While the title of this Module is the same as Brescia 2024 the context is all new. We will be exploring the below tasks:
- Turning over in bed
- Dressing: putting on a sock in sit
- Walking on inclines
- On and off the floor (as per Japanese culture thru cross leg sit)
- Drinking from a glass in sit
- Dressing in stand to zip and unzip an upper body garment
FEEDBACK from previous ACIC Module:
“A very supportive and inclusive atmosphere was created on the course which contributed to an extremely rich learning experience.”
“Good to treat a patient together with an international colleague.”
“I decided to participate in the ACIC for the second time, because I consider this a moment where I learn a lot every time.”
“The instructors were creative within activities and practicals with good ideas regarding progression and regression of activities.”
“The module enhanced and made me re-focus on the level of specificity of handling.”
Post-Congress BCIC-Module
TITLE: Understanding the Complexity of Postural Control for the Functional Recovery of the Upper Limb and Hand
DATES: Sunday August 31st to Wednesday September 3rd, 2025
FEEDBACK from previous BCIC Module:
“The teaching team provided a great invitation to be open for sharing experiences and creating a joyful space for learning. It has been a very respectful, enriching and high level experience.”
“I had really appreciated all tutor who put me at ease in a situation that I was facing for the first time.”
“The module has deepened my understanding of phases of gait cycle and the neurophysiology connected to each phase as well as the importance of postural control and various aspects of postural control for locomotion.”
“I feel more confident with my clinic reasoning skills. I feel more aware of how to write a very detailed lesson plan from the examples provided.”
Future Modules
ITC will be planning future modules at our midyear meeting early February and will provide this information in the March newsletter.
Nominating Committee
Are you interested in contributing to an IBITA committee next year?
IBITA is looking for members who want to actively support the association’s work, share their expertise, and help shape its future. Joining a committee is a great opportunity to expand your skills, collaborate with colleagues worldwide, and make a meaningful impact.
Here are the committees currently looking for new members:
- Instructor Training Committee – Enhance your teaching skills and play a key role in the development of instructor candidates.
- Peer Review Committee – Develop your ability to provide structured feedback and support your peers’ professional growth.
- Nominating Committee – Strengthen your global network by identifying and encouraging future IBITA committee members.
- Qualification Committee – Gain deeper insight into IBITA’s educational standards and contribute to the instructor certification process.
- Research Committee – Stay at the forefront of evidence-based practice and support research initiatives related to the Bobath Concept.
- Instructor Trainee Secretary – Gain first-hand experience in the instructor training process and contribute to the development of future IBITA instructors.
If you are interested, please complete the survey at the link below by the 28th of February:
https://forms.gle/L42NtCUkx5JL5EB66
For any further information, do not hesitate to contact us at i[email protected].
Research Committee
Please note that the webinar scheduled for March 15th has been postponed. The new date will be advertised in the near future.
For now, the ResCom is inviting all members to visit the reformed IBITA library using the following link:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1VW0V1qy7oe7c3tLHex6fthg9sTUvl-xC
and to enjoy the availability and accessibility of course-related and neurological-relevant articles.
Happy reading:)
Other News
If you have any info for the March newsletter, please send it to Victor Urquizo at [email protected] by 15th March