Back to the ABI - Challenge

The ABI Challenge Training Workshop

  • Tuesday May 19 and Friday June 19, 2026
  • 12:00 to 16:00 EST
This interactive Zoom-based workshop will focus on expanding physiotherapist participants’ thinking and enhancing clinical skills in assessment of advanced motor skills using the ABI Challenge Assessment (ABI-CA) for children and youth with an Acquired Brain Injury (ABI)

What is the ABI-CA?

The ABI-CA was designed by the Holland Bloorview clinical research team for use with children/youth over the age of 5 years with mild to moderate ABI and are either in the later stages of in-patient rehabilitation or at home in their community (Ibey et al.,2010; MacArthur et al., 2013; Wong et al.,2014). While designed initially for use in pediatrics, experience with young adults indicates that it is also suitable from a content perspective for use with them. It is based on the same system of dynamic assessment as the Challenge for children with cerebral palsy (CP) (Wilson et al., 2011; Glazebrook et al., 2013, Wright et al., 2018; Rodrigues et al., 2021; Nordbye-Nielson et al., 2022). The ABI-CA has been accepted in 2024 alongside the GMFM into the Netherlands Pediatric Physiotherapists’ Toolbox of core outcome measures for long term follow-up of children post ABI (personal communication, Christiaan Gmelig Meyling, Utrecht).
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Course overview
  • Instructor: Dr. Virginia Wright
  • Dates: May 19 and June 19, 2026
  • Time: Both sessions run from 12:00 to 16:00 EST
  • Format: 2 Zoom-based sessions (lecture style and group discussion)
  • Cost: Early bird price of $400 CAD
  • Online-certification testing included
  • Includes access to training videos and the ABI-CA materials (score form, manual, score sheet)

Who is this course for?

This Zoom-based workshop (held over two half day sessions of 4 hours each) will be of interest to physiotherapists and physicians who have clinical experience with using the Gross Motor Function Measure or HiMAT or Community Balance and Mobility Scale or other gross motor tests with ambulatory children, youth, and young adults with an ABI. 

Course Details

This course consists of:

Session 1:
  • 1) Introduction to the ABI-CA (its development, structure, psychometric properties, clinical and research applications)
  • 2) Detailed review of the ABI-CA manual and item by item video view/discussion (with blocks of question time on Zoom to allow group participation). Administration tips. 
  • 3) Homework for the week between the sessions to practice the ABI-CA with a typically developing child/youth/adult and report back form 
Session 2:
  • 4) Interactive viewing and scoring of the three ABI-CA videos of children/youth with an ABI.
  • 5) Review of ABI-CA excel score sheet
  • 6) Discussion of case example from videos and clinical interpretation of the ABI-CA results
  • 7) Instructions for completion of ABI-CA criterion test
  • 8) Course evaluation

How will this course be taught?

The Zoom-based workshop is a combination of lecture style session with group discussion during viewing and Zoom poll-based scoring of sample training videos. After the course, self-study of on-line training videos (available only to course participants) will be done prior to completion of the on-line Criterion Test (certification). Offered as two ½ day Zoom sessions within a one month period.
NOTE: Certificates of attendance will be provided by Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Toronto, Canada. This Certificate implies neither the certification nor competence as an assessor on either test. On successful completion of the Challenge Criterion Test after self-study of the web-based materials, a Criterion Test Certificate will be issued.
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