Manon Bloemen
Manon Bloemen PhD has been working with children with disabilities since 1999. Her passion lies in supporting these children and their parents so that participation in social activities such as sports, games and active outdoor play can be realised.
Manon Bloemen was originally a paediatric physiotherapist and acquired much experience within child rehabilitation services. After obtaining her degree in Paediatric Physiotherapy, she lived and worked in Iceland for 1.5 years. Upon her return to the Netherlands she followed the Clinical Health Sciences degree programme at Utrecht University. She then became a lecturer of Paediatric Physiotherapy for the Physiotherapy master's programme at HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht.
Since 2011, she has been affiliated with the Research Group Lifestyle and health, and from 2013 until completing her doctoral degree in 2017, she conducted doctoral research on physical fitness and physical behaviour in (wheelchair-bound) children and adolescents with spina bifida. This research formed the basis for the research project ‘Wat Beweegt Jou?!’ (‘What Gets You Moving?!’). Manon is also responsible for the research activities within the SIA postdoctoral grant project Kind met beperkingen en participatie in beweegactiviteiten (Children with disabilities and participation in movement activities).
Fields of expertise
- Paediatric physiotherapy
- Children with disabilities
- Behavioural change & participation
Publications
- Collaboration: How does it work according to therapists and parents of young children? A systematic review
- Collaborative working in speech and language therapy for children with DLD—What are parents’ needs?
- Using a behavior change toolkit in pediatric physical therapy to support physical activity A feasibility study
