Keynote Speaker

Lois Bly, PT, MA, C/NDT

Lois Bly, PT, MA, C/NDT, is an NDTA Coordinator Instructor and clinician who has offered seminars, workshops and NDT certification courses throughout the United States, and many other countries. Ms. Bly was certified in Neuro-Developmental Treatment by the Bobaths in London and studied with and received her NDT Instructors Certification from Mary Quinton and Dr. Elsbeth Koeng of Switzerland. She received her Master’s Degree in Motor Learning at Teachers College, Columbia University. Ms. Bly is the author of several books: Baby Treatment Based on NDT Principles; Motor Skills Acquisition in the First Year; Motor Skills Checklist; Facilitation Techniques Based on NDT Principles, coauthored with Allison Whiteside; and Components of Typical and Atypical Motor Development. In 2000, she received the NDTA Award of Excellence in 2000. In 2009 she received the APTA Pediatric Section Jeanne Fischer Mentorship Award.

Jane Sweeney, PT, PhD, MS, FAPTA

Jane K. Sweeney PT, MS, PhD, PCS, FAPTA, founded the Pediatric Science DSc program in 2000, Pediatric Science PhD program in 2011 and pediatric science tracks in 2006 for two post-professional programs: transitional Doctor of Physical Therapy (tDPT) and Doctor of Occupational Therapy. She continues to serve as director of the Pediatrics tDPT program and PhD Pediatric Science track. Dr. Sweeney developed the first Physical Therapy Fellowship in Neonatology accredited in the United States by the American Board of Physical Therapy Residency and Fellowship and Education in 2012. She directs the Fellowship in partnership with Seattle Children’s and Cincinnati Children’s Hospitals.

Dr. Sweeney’s educational degrees include BA from the University of the Pacific, MS from Colorado State University, and PhD from the University of Washington. The emphasis of her doctoral study was the high-risk infant and family; her doctoral research focused on physiological and behavioral tolerance of neurological assessment procedures in preterm and full-term neonates. She is a Mary Switzer Distinguished Research Fellow of the National Institute for Disability and Rehabilitation Research and a Catherine Worthingham Fellow of the American Physical Therapy Association. Her 88 publications include 35 journal articles, 15 chapters, 33 peer-reviewed abstracts, 2 invited commentaries, and one book.

After receiving physical therapy education in the US Army Medical Department, Dr. Sweeney worked primarily in pediatric and neurologic rehab positions. Before retiring at the rank of Colonel, she held a six-year position as Chief of Clinical Investigation and Research for the Army Medical Specialist Corps and a 12-year position as Pediatric Physical Therapy Consultant to the Office of the Army Surgeon General.

Dr. Sweeney was in the first group of 4 in the United States to become board certified in pediatric physical therapy in 1986. She then served as Chair of the Pediatric Specialty Council and as chair of the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties. She led a task force on Neonatal ICU Practice Guidelines for the APTA Section on Pediatrics and served as an editorial board member of Infants and Young Children, Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, and Pediatric Physical Therapy journals. Dr. Sweeney received the APTA’s Lucy Blair Service Award and Section on Pediatrics’ Fischer Distinguished Mentorship Award, DeHaven Distinguished Service Award, and Doctoral Dissertation Award. She is a recipient of the Richmond Award (Research) from the Academy for Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine and the Hartgraves Award for Excellence in Teaching at Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions. She was founder of the Neonatology Special Interest Group of the APTA Academy of Pediatric Physical Therapy and is currently co-chairing a Task Force for developing a national certification program and examination for Neonatal Physical Therapists.

Physician Speakers

Holly Breeden, MD

Dr. Holly Breeden is a Pediatric Gastroenterologist with a passion for people and a commitment to her patients and their families. She enjoys the variety of conditions encountered within the field and has a special interest in inflammatory bowel disease.

Talia Collier, MD

Dr. Talia R. Collier is a board-certified physical medicine and rehabilitation physician who specializes in the diagnosis, care and management of children with physical disabilities. She manages children with congenital or acquired conditions to facilitate function and quality of life goals. She practices longitudinal care and can follow patients from birth to at least 18 years old. She coordinates care with an interdisciplinary approach with other specialists and clinicians for medical needs, equipment needs and orthotic needs. She has an additional board certification in electrodiagnostic medicine to analyze nerve and muscle function for injury or damage.

Dr. Collier is interested in global health and participates in international volunteer health projects when able. She is an active participant in national conferences and committees to enhance ongoing knowledge in her field.

Peyton Stephens, MS, CCC-SLP, LSLS Cert AVT

Peyton joined Texas Hearing Institute's Speech Clinic in 2012. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Disorders from Baylor University and a Master of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders from University of Texas at Dallas. Peyton received her Clinical Certificate of Competence from ASHA in 2011 and her Listening and Spoken Language Certification as an Auditory – Verbal Therapist in 2015. Peyton is passionate about helping children with hearing loss and collaborating with other professionals. She is involved in our Speech Improvement Committee, Outreach and Grant Planning, and our Texas Hearing Institute Rewards and Recognition Team.

Basel Touban, MD, FAAOS, FAAP

Dr. Touban is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon with training and experience in the evaluation and treatment of pediatric and adolescent hip conditions, trauma, lower extremity conditions and sports injuries. Between his residency and fellowship, he served in the U.S. Air Force and was deployed in support of Operation Spartan Shield during the COVID-19 pandemic.

He has a special interest and training in evaluating and treating pediatric and adolescent hip conditions, including performing the periacetabular osteotomy (PAO) among other hip preservation techniques. Additionally, he has experience managing adolescent knee and shoulder injuries as well as general pediatric orthopedics.

In addition to clinical duties, Dr. Touban is active in clinical research, academic publishing and presentations at national and international orthopedic conferences, and numerous medical societies

NDT Instructor Speakers

Rona Alexander, CCC-SLP, PhD, C/NDT

Rona Alexander, PhD, CCC-SLP, BCS-S, C/NDT is a speech-language pathologist specializing in the assessment and treatment of oral, pharyngeal, feeding/swallowing, and respiratory coordination function in infants, children, adolescents, and young adults with primary neuromotor, musculoskeletal, and sensory systems impairments. She maintains a private practice; provides consultation services; provides short-term treatment intensives; and conducts workshops/courses/seminars/webinars on oral movement, oral sensory, pharyngeal, feeding/swallowing, and thoracic cage/respiratory coordination development, assessment, and treatment.

Dr. Alexander is an active advanced speech instructor in Neuro-Developmental Treatment (NDT). She has contributed chapters on oral, pharyngeal, feeding/swallowing, and rib cage/respiratory coordination function to numerous publications; is co-author of the book entitled, Normal Development of Functional Motor Skills: The First Year of Life; is author of the CEU product, Focus on the Rib Cage for Improvement of Respiration, Phonation, Movement, and Postural Control.

Debbie Evans- Rogers, PT, PhD, PCS, C/NDT

Debbie Evans-Rogers, PT, PhD, PCS, C/NDT is an internationally known and respected clinician and published researcher. She offers a unique perspective combining clinical expertise with pediatric research knowledge. She has assisted students and presented pediatric courses throughout the United States and abroad including Romania, Nicaragua, India, China, and Chile. She is a pediatric physical therapist with over 30 years of clinical experience specializing in assessment, intervention and research in children with neuro-motor involvement. She is trained in pediatric Neuro-developmental Treatment and baby treatment and is an NDTA PT Instructor and CI candidate. She has served on the NDTA Board of Directors as the Director of Regions and Past President (appointed). She is an APTA Pediatric Clinical Specialist since 1996. She has worked in private practice both in the home and clinic settings, schools, early intervention, home health, acute care, NICU and outpatient hospital clinics offering insightful information in a variety of physical therapy settings.

Mary Hallway, OTR/L, C/NDT

Mary Hallway, OTR/L, SWC, C/NDT received the Bachelor of Science degree with honors in occupational therapy from Western Michigan University and has forty years of experience specializing in pediatrics in medical, educational, and community-based settings. She has completed advanced training in both NDT, Sensory Integration (SI), is SIPT certified, and a certified yoga therapist. Mary is a globally-recognized educator, clinician, and consultant who teaches extensively throughout the United States and internationally. Mary has published several articles including Handling with Care or Handling Carefully in Parent Articles about NDT and has co-authored the book Combining Neuro-Developmental Treatment and Sensory Integration Principles: An Approach to Pediatrics.

Kacy Hertz, PT, C/NDT

Kacy Hertz, PT-CI, is a physical therapist and NDTA Coordinator Instructor residing in Chicago Illinois, She has over 30 years of experience treating children with motor impairments. Kacy owns a private practice, City Kids, Inc, where she treats children with motor impairments through the lifespan. Kacy also teaches continuing education with an emphasis on assessment and treatment with an NDT approach.

Melissa G. Smith, CCC-SLP, C/NDT

Melissa Smith M.S., CCC-SLP, C/NDT has practiced at Children’s Specialized Hospital (CSH) in New Jersey, for over 22 years, with experience in feeding, swallowing, respiratory impairments, neuromotor disorders, as well as speech, language, and cognitive disorders across the inpatient, outpatient, and long-term care populations. Melissa has been certified and trained in NDT, myofascial release, VitalStim© and DPNS© (Deep Pharyngeal Nerve Stimulation). Ms. Smith is also a pediatric speech instructor candidate.

Kim Westhoff, OTR/L, C/NDT

Kim Westhoff, OTR/L, C/NDT is a Pediatric OT instructor for NDTA, Coordinating Instructor (CI) and is an active member within the NDTA Instructor group. She offers practical concepts and intervention approach to be readily applied in multiple settings with applicable information for the whole team. She brings a wealth of experience having practiced in a variety of settings including, but not limited to hospital outpatient & specialty clinics, private clinics, schools, community environments, and currently a private home & clinic based practice. Her expertise includes innovative services to infants through young adults along with their families who experience physical, sensory, learning, emotional and behavioral challenges.

She is a recognized educator both nationally and internationally and had presented a variety of educational seminars for occupational & physical therapist, speech pathologists, families, educators, and physicians.

Family Panel

Marielle Deckard

Marielle's family moved to the United States from Lima, Peru when she was five years old. Leaving behind everything they knew, her mother made the brave decision to move in search of a better life for Marielle and her siblings. The courage behind this life-changing decision inspires Marielle to embody that same inner strength in every aspect of her life. "It teaches me that I can be like my mother, especially with all the challenges that come with our cerebral palsy journey," Marielle says. Marielle earned a degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Texas. With over 20 years of experience supporting executives in the corporate world, she brings that knowledge to CPATH, ensuring the organization runs smoothly and efficiently. As a wife and mother of three boys, Marielle is deeply involved in her children’s school activities, sports, and advocacy for her son. In her free time, Marielle is an active member of the Austin Sure Shots, a women’s pistol league. The focus, confidence, and discipline she’s developed in shooting help her manage the many tasks required of her, even when life gets hectic.

Brittany Lopez

Brittany, a Certified Public Accountant, brings over sixteen years of experience in accounting and finance. She is currently the Vice President and Corporate Controller for a veterinary management company that supports veterinarians nationwide. A native Austinite, Brittany holds a B.B.A. in Accounting from St. Edward’s University and a Master’s in Professional Accounting from the University of Texas at Austin. Brittany’s son was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at age 2, and she was introduced to the CPATH community through his therapy team. The support from CPATH—whether through much-needed equipment, adaptive events like soccer or ice skating, or connections with families on a similar journey—has been life-changing. Brittany is thrilled and honored to serve on the board, helping other families within the CP community. In her downtime, she enjoys spending time with her family and spending time in nature.

Victoria Polega

Victoria's passion for philanthropy is infectious. She has worked with numerous charities, including children’s advocacy centers, and gained valuable non-profit operational experience as a Director for a foundation that supports high-risk individuals. A native Texan, Victoria graduated from the University of Texas with a degree in Applied Learning and Development. Victoria brought her commitment to service into her classrooms, teaching young students inclusion and community-mindedness. It was during this time that she first encountered cerebral palsy. Years later, when her son Ben was diagnosed with CP, she felt driven to support other families with information, resources, and a strong support system. As CPATH’s president, Victoria plays a pivotal role in enhancing CPATH’s programming and ensuring the sustainability of key initiatives. Her tireless efforts in organizing funding campaigns and fostering community partnerships are crucial to CPATH’s visibility and outreach. Outside of CPATH, she enjoys time with her husband Jeff and their sons Ben and Josh, exploring Austin, and hunting for travel deals.