Ideas at Play: An Occupational Therapy (OT) Podcast

Ep. 20 Green Light Interventions for CP: Do What Works (with special guest Iona Novak)

Michele Alaniz & Lacy Wright

Stop guessing and start knowing which occupational therapy interventions actually work. World-renowned OT researcher Professor Iona Novak discusses her revolutionary Traffic Light System that rates occupational therapy interventions with simple green, yellow, and red color coding. Learn why starting with client goals (not assessments) delivers faster outcomes, discover which interventions are moving from yellow to green (including stem cell research!), and discover her READ framework for evidence-based OT decision making. From her childhood friendship with Louisa, who had cerebral palsy, to her systematic review of ALL pediatric occupational therapy interventions (that we previously discussed on our podcast in episode 13), Professor Novak shares research-backed strategies that will transform your OT practice. This isn't just another evidence-based talk—it's your roadmap to interventions that deliver real results.


Learn more about Iona Novak's work

Novak, I., & Honan, I. (2019). Effectiveness of paediatric occupational therapy for children with disabilities: A systematic review. Australian occupational therapy journal, 66(3), 258-273.    (Listen to Lacy & Michele discussing this article in episode 13)

Novak, I., Morgan, C., Fahey, M., Finch-Edmondson, M., Galea, C., Hines, A., ... & Badawi, N. (2020). State of the evidence traffic lights 2019: systematic review of interventions for preventing and treating children with cerebral palsy. Current neurology and neuroscience reports20, 1-21.

Novak, I., Te Velde, A., Hines, A., Stanton, E., Mc Namara, M., Paton, M. C., ... & Morgan, C. (2021). Rehabilitation evidence-based decision-making: the READ model. Frontiers in rehabilitation sciences2, 726410.


KEYWORDS: Occupational therapy; OT; evidence-based practice; OT ideas; peds OT; pediatric occupational therapy; cerebral palsy; CP; systematic review

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