Clinical Reasoning and Motor Learning: Bed Mobility, Transfers, Walking

Course overview

This course introduces a practical, evidence-informed approach to neurorehabilitation by focusing on three foundational mobility tasks: bed mobility, transfers, and walking. Using a structured four-step clinical reasoning framework (identify the task, assess the person, assess the environment, and choose a motor learning strategy), clinicians will learn to evaluate movement limitations and design targeted, task-specific interventions. Emphasis is placed on maximizing functional carryover through strategies such as error augmentation, repetition, external cueing, and motor priming. Video demonstrations featuring real patients at varying levels of challenge show how to apply these principles across different stages of recovery and care settings, concluding with an integrative video that ties all three mobility components together to reinforce meaningful functional progress. Designed for physical and occupational therapists working with individuals post neurological injury, this course bridges theory and practice to build the movement foundations essential for independence and safety.