Australian Bobath Training Association
The Australian Bobath Training Association (ABTA) has been formed to promote the teaching of the Bobath Concept in adult neurological rehabilitation. We have been providing Bobath courses in Australia and neighbouring countries since 2000.
It is our mission to provide exciting, current Bobath courses that are very applicable to the clinical setting
We welcome the recently published Cochrane Systematic Review into physical rehabilitation approaches for the recovery of function and mobility after stroke (Todhunter-Brown et al 2025). The Cochrane Collaboration is the gold standard of systematic review methodologies, with rigorously developed protocols to prevent reviewer bias and ensure that conclusions are robust.
The Review found that were no differences between neurophysiological approaches (including the Bobath concept) compared to other therapies, inclusive of functional task practice, for motor function, balance and gait velocity (low or very low certainty evidence).
For functional task training, the review found that this may improve motor function (very low certainty evidence), however may not improve balance and gait (low and very low certainty evidence). Therefore, the authors were unable to make robust conclusions as to the type of therapy to recommend.
In recent years, there have been calls for the de-implementation of Bobath led by the Stroke Ed collaboration in Sydney, following the publication of systematic reviews in the Journal of Physiotherapy (Australia) that were not supportive of the Bobath concept. However, the studies included in these systematic reviews do not represent the Bobath concept as it is taught around the world by tutors accredited by the International Bobath Instructor Training Association (IBITA).
The full ABTA response to earlier systematic reviews and guideline updates can be viewed here. Given the Cochrane review revealed different findings to these earlier published reviews, the efficacy of the Bobath concept compared to other approaches requires further investigation.
Irene Dowton has recently become our newest ABTA Basic Course Instructor in October 2025.
Irene has worked tirelessly to achieve this international qualification and it is fantastic to now have Irene teaching "What is Normal Movement?" and Basic Bobath courses.
- A Neuro Physio Podcast: Kim Jennings
- A Neuro Physio Podcast: Julie Vaughan Graham
- British Bobath Tutors Association YouTube Channel
You can find more useful links and Bobath resources on our Resources page.
There are seven qualified Australian Bobath tutors and four Australian tutor trainees. A brief CV of each tutor is available in the About Us section.