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Dr. Michelle Spirtos

Head of Discipline (Occupational Therapy)
TRINITY CENTRE, S J H
      
Profile Photo

Dr. Michelle Spirtos

Head of Discipline (Occupational Therapy)
TRINITY CENTRE, S J H

 spirtosa@tcd.ie

 3531896 3213


I am an Associate Professor in the Discipline of Occupational Therapy, Trinity College. I completed a BSc OT and a MSc within the Discipline of Occupational Therapy and a PhD through the School of Social Work and Social Policy, Trinity College Dublin. I have worked as an occupational therapist with children and young people in the Central Remedial Clinic, Dublin, The Brooklyn Hospital Centre, New York, The Hospital for Special Surgery, New York and The Board of Education, New York. I have 30 years of experience working and researching with infants, children and young people. My teaching and research interests primarily relate to infants, children and young people, disability, participation and engagement in life areas, transition to adulthood and cerebral palsy with a strong focus on driving innovative and progressive practice development and in centralising the voices of children and adults with disability experience. My research has a strong PPI and interdisciplinary focus with funded collaborative projects nationally and internationally.
  Child centred research questions, study design, data analysis   Children, health and disability
Project Title
 An exploration of the participation of children with fine motor difficulties and the impact of occupational therapy intervention
From
November 2006
To
November 2007
Summary
Funding Agency
National Disability Authority
Project Type
Research Project
Person Months
12
Project Title
 AIM CP - Achieving Improved outcomes for children with cerebral palsy
From
2024
To
2029
Summary
Achieving Improved outcomes for children with Cerebral Palsy (AIM CP) is an interdisciplinary project funded through the Trinity Research Doctorate Awards. The purpose of this project is to bring together a strong interdisciplinary research team with collaborators in the Central Remedial Clinic and parents and young people to achieve improved outcomes for children with CP. There are four interconnected PhD Projects. AIM CP Childhood aims to further our understanding of children and families living with CP in Ireland and particularly centralise the voice of the child. AIM CP Motion seeks to inform assessment and targeted interventions for children by developing a single-camera marker less system to provide accurate motion analysis. AIM CP Sleep focuses on sleep profiles, priorities and challenges and works towards shaping individualised sleep interventions for children. AIM CP Model considers data from across the studies and seeks to model health and wellbeing indicators in children with CP. The project involves Biomechanical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Statistics, Medicine, Psychology and Occupational Therapy. External project collaborators include parents and adults with CP and the Central Remedial Clinic (CRC)
Funding Agency
Trinity College Dublin
Project Type
Interdisciplinary Research Project
Project Title
 The use of digital video resources in occupational therapy education
From
June 2003
To
June 2004
Summary
Funding Agency
National Development Plan
Project Type
Teaching and Development Grant
Person Months
12

Details Date
European Academy of Childhood Disability Scientific Committee 2024
Co-Chair of the Scientific Committee, European Seating Symposium 2023
Details Date From Date To
Association of Occupational Therapists of Ireland 2003 Present
Pediatric Advisory Group 2015 Present
Registered Member of CORU regulatory body of Health and Social Care Professions Ireland 2016 Present
Association of Occupational Therapists of Ireland Practice Education Forum 2021 2025
Curtin, H., Simms, SK., Kiernan, D., Reilly, RB., Spirtos, M., Parental perceptions of the impact of mobility assistant dogs in children with neurological impairment, Physical Therapy Reviews, 2025, p1-10 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Flynn, P., Gibbs, D., Spirtos, M., Shared sleep needs and seeking synchrony in parent"infant sleep: a meta-ethnography of parents" perspectives and experiences, Sleep, zsaf169, 2025, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Lawlor, G., Ryan, A., Battault, O., Brown, L., Peppard, D., Mockler, D., Spirtos, M., The Transition to Adulthood From the Perspectives of Young People With Cerebral Palsy and Their Caregivers: A Systematic Literature Review, Child: Care, Health and Development, 51, (2), 2025, pe70036-, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Curtin, H., Simms, K., Kiernan, D., Reilly, R.B., Spirtos, M., The Effect of Mobility Assistance Dogs on Quality of Life in Children with Physical and Neurological Impairments, Physical and Occupational Therapy in Pediatrics, 45, (1), 2025, p102 - 115, p13 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Butler, E., Spirtos, M., O'Keeffe, L. M., Clarke, M., Perinatal factors associated with sensory processing difficulties in infancy: Findings from the Etude Longitudinale Francaise depuis l'Enfance (ELFE) French national birth cohort, Early Human Development, 200, 2025, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Butler, E., Clarke, M., Spirtos, M., Do Motor Difficulties in Infancy Predict 7-year-olds" Behavioural Health? Findings from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, The Journal of Paediatrics: Clinical Practice, 17, 2025, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Butler E, Spirtos M, O' Keeffe LM, Clarke M, Predicting 5-year-olds mental health at birth: development and internal validation of a multivariable model using the prospective ELFE birth cohort, European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 2025, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Butler, E., Clarke, M., Spirtos, M., O'Keeffe, L. M., Dooley, N., Pregnancy complications and childhood mental health: is the association modified by sex or adverse social circumstances? Findings from the `growing up in Ireland" national infant cohort study, Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 2024, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Walsh-Garcia, S., Spirtos, M., Mockler, D., & Cremin, K., The Impact of Complex Trauma on Occupations and Daily Functioning in Childhood: A Scoping Review., Physical & Occupational Therapy In Pediatrics, 2024, p1 - 24, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Spirtos M,. Stapleton T., Interventions for sleep disorders in children with cerebral palsy (CP) - a systematic review, AOTI Conference 2024 Book of Abstracts, Association of Occupational Therapists of Ireland, 26th 27th September, 2024, pp39 - 40, Oral Presentation, PUBLISHED
  

Page 1 of 5
Kift, S. H., Gibbs, D., Molloy, E., Spirtos, M., INCOT: Irish neonatal care occupational therapy study: the development of an occupational therapy intervention for neonatal units in Ireland., AHP's in Neonatal Care in Ireland Study Day, Dublin, 19th July, 2023, Oral Presentation, PUBLISHED
Spirtos, Michelle, The transition to adulthood for young people with hemiplegic cerebral palsy, Making a difference conference, Dublin, 22-23rd March, 2018, Central Remedial Clinic, Invited Talk, PUBLISHED