Innovation Award for Entrepreneur from Chiswick
Katie Michaels developed app to help parents manage children's physio
Katie Michaels shows off her awards
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February 22, 2023
An entrepreneur from Chiswick has received an award for a product she is developing which helps parents manage their child’s physiotherapy.
Katie Michaels was inspired to create an app after working with children with disabilities when she was a student and when a family member was diagnosed with a condition which will mean they will need regular physio.
Physiotherapy is critical for many disabled children and often forms part of their daily routine. This can be done at clinics and hospitals, but this can be time-consuming and costly for parents.
Moti Me, an app which has been developed by Katie Michaels, allows parents to practise physio with their child outside of structured sessions. Many find this challenging without support and struggle to manage their child's therapy goals. Children may become distracted during physio practice, and there is limited availability of resources to help children with disabilities practice physio.
Moti Me aims to improve communication between parents and physiotherapists, by supporting parents with the app's ability to track a child’s progress. If parents are able to support their child and increase physiotherapy practice at home, this will result in more rapid progression amongst children and therefore improve outcomes for the child.
The product has been designed considering the needs of children with disabilities - such as reduced dexterity - to ensure that the product adapts to a wide range of children. It is also intended to be fun and friendly so that the child doesn’t see physiotherapy as a chore.
Katie Michaels graduated from Loughborough University's BA Industrial Design and Technology programme in 2020. Throughout university, she spent many hours volunteering at Ashmount School where she looked after many young children with severe disabilities.
In 2021 Katie experienced first-hand the challenges many families with a special needs child face, after her young cousin was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Shortly after this, Katie launched Moti Me and started designing a product that would improve fine motor skills, balance and muscle strength for children with disabilities.
Currently, Moti Me's prototypes are being tested with numerous physiotherapy centres, disability schools and charities around the country including STEPS Conductive Education, Ashmount School, The Movement Centre and Physio Goals 4 Kids.
After much positive feedback about the product, Katie was nominated as a finalist in the Leicestershire Live Innovations Awards. These are held annually in the Midlands and they celebrate the very best technology, services, digital advances and creative thinking that the region has to offer. This year it was held in the Leicester Space Centre and some sponsors included Rolls Royce, Morningside Pharmaceuticals, Loughborough University, Intelligent Energy and University of Leicester.
If you have a child with additional needs or work with children with additional needs, she would love to hear from you. She currently looking to trial the product so if you are interested contact her via yjr Moti Me Trial form. http://www.motimefamily.com/physio-product-trial-sign-up
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