Abstract submission
- Abstract submission is now closed.
Abstract submission invitation
The scientific committee of the 36th Annual Meeting of the European Academy of Childhood Disability (EACD) invites you to submit abstracts for an oral communication, poster, mini symposium and/or instructional course. Be aware that only abstracts following the Submission Guidelines will be accepted.
Good reasons to submit your abstract:
- Be part of the leading multi- and interdisciplinary scientific congress in Europe about childhood disabilities.
- Earn international recognition for the work you do
- Boost your career while participating in the Mac Keith Press Best Abstract Award/ EACD Best Poster Award, the EACD Early Career Researchers’ Award, the EACD Technology & Innovation Award and Nestlé Clinical Research Award
- Receive the feedback that helps you progress
- Make the connections you need
Submission guidelines
Before you begin completing the online abstract submission form, please take notice of the following guidelines for abstract submission. Only abstracts following the guidelines will be accepted.
- Abstracts should be submitted via the online submission platform. Mandatory fields are marked with a red asterisk (*).
- There is no limit to the number of abstracts an individual may submit. Please note that the scientific committee may limit the number of oral presentations for one individual. The maximum number of abstracts that can be presented by the same presenter will be limited to max. three per presentation type.
- All abstracts must be submitted in English, and all presentations must be given in English.
- All authors have consented to be included as co-authors, have read and approved the abstract and its contents, and agree with the results stated. Please note that after your submission further changes cannot be accepted.
- The work described is original to the authors and was conducted in accordance with current ethical standards and regulations in biomedical and clinical research.
- It is expected that all research involving human subjects or animals has been approved by the appropriate ethical review authorities.
- Abstracts must be unbiased and conflicts of interest shall be disclosed. Papers that are written in a manner that promotes a company, service, or product will not be considered.
- Submitting authors can select a preferred type of presentation (Oral communication, Poster, Instructional course, or Mini symposium) in the online submission platform. The final decision, however, lies upon the EACD Local Scientific Committee and its Reviewing Panel.
- The abstract body text is limited to a maximum of 250 words, excluding title and author information. Figures and tables are not allowed. The use of references is discouraged and should be limited to a minimum. Please use exactly the structural lay-out of your selected preferred submission type (see submission tracks).
- If your abstract is accepted as an Instructional Course or a Mini Symposium, you can present your contribution with multiple (co-)authors. However, please note that for the submission process here you can only select one author as presenter for correspondence. For all other submission types, there can be only one presenting author.
Main themes
The following topics are a list of themes composed by the scientific committee for free communications:
- Neuroimaging
- Neurophysiology
- Musculoskeletal imaging, modelling and physiology
- Movement analysis and biomechanics
- Measures of activities and participation
- Functional assessment, incl. cognition and communication
- PROMs (Patient Reported Outcome Measures) and PREMs (Patient Reported Experience Measures)
- Data Science, causal analysis, and Artificial Intelligence
- Mobility
- Nutrition
- Motor and non-motor interventions (physiotherapy, occupational therapy,
- speech language therapy, environment, …)
- Technology-assisted rehabilitation (robotics, augmentative and alternative
communication, tele-rehabilitation, low-tech innovation, …) - Surgery (orthopaedic surgery, neurosurgery, …)
- Psychological/Psychiatric Intervention
- Pharmacology and medicine
- Pain management
- Palliative care
- Gene therapy, stem cell therapy, neuroprotection
- Service design and provision
- Prevention (from primary to quaternary)
- Child and family centered research and care
- Communicative participation
- Diversity, equity and inclusion
- Epidemiology, registry based research
- Global perspectives
- Health issues
- Healthcare models research
- Lifespan perspectives
- Mobility
- Nutrition
- Sexuality and parenthood
- Sports, leisure and community inclusion
Submission tracks
Mini Symposia provide a state-of-the-art overview of research evidence and clinical application of a theme that is relevant and innovative. At least 3 presenters with a multidisciplinary background will present in a 60-90 min session that includes 15 minutes for discussion with the audience. Mini Symposia that have scheduled parents/family of children with disabilities or persons with childhood onset disabilities presenting their perspectives on the discussed theme will be prioritized.
Please structure your abstract for a Mini Symposium using the following headings:
- Objectives
- Summary
- Outline of the symposium
Oral Communication sessions consist of a group of talks within a theme by individual participants (including questions and answers) and will be scheduled in concurrent sessions of 60-90 minutes. On submission of the abstract, authors are required to mention their own preference for Oral or Poster presentation, but the final decision will be at the discretion of the scientific committee.
The maximal word count of an abstract is 250 words. Abstract content should be consistent scientific and ethical standards, and the writing style should be clear and grammatically sound. The information presented should be self-contained (have in mind that many people may only read the abstract, not actually see the presentation). Please note that abstracts reporting Results or Conclusions without reporting data will be rejected. Authors are encouraged to include persons with lived experience in the authorship. Please do not include references, figures or tables in the abstract.
A selection of the best 250 abstracts will be published and archived in Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, the official journal of the EACD.
Please structure your abstract using the following headings:
- Introduction (background and research question)
- Participants and methods (providing explicit information)
- Results (including actual data and statistical significance if appropriate)
- Conclusion (interpretation and perspectives: ‘So what?’, ‘What now?’)
We will, however, also consider abstracts presenting innovative study protocols. Such abstracts should be structured with ‘Introduction’ and ‘Participants and Methods’ of the study, and include ‘Study Protocol’ in the title.
Thank you for submitting an abstract for EACD2024. Do not hesitate to encourage your colleagues and those from other fields working on developmental disability to do so as well, in the spirit of the theme of the meeting: ‘Composing a new symphony‘.
Scientific Posters provide the opportunity to present novel methods and findings and include discussion on site. Scientific Posters will be sorted by theme. Each Scientific Poster will be on display during the conference and selected posters will be included in a dedicated poster session. On submission of the abstract, authors are required to mention their own preference for Oral or Poster presentation, but the final decision will be at the discretion of the scientific committee.
The maximal word count of an abstract is 250 words. Abstract content should be consistent scientific and ethical standards, and the writing style should be clear and grammatically sound. The information presented should be self-contained (have in mind that many people may only read the abstract, not actually see the presentation). Please note that abstracts reporting Results or Conclusions without reporting data will be rejected. Authors are encouraged to include persons with lived experience in the authorship. Please do not include references, figures or tables in the abstract.
A selection of the best 250 abstracts will be published and archived in Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, the official journal of the EACD.
Please structure your abstract using the following headings:
- Introduction (background and research question)
- Participants and methods (providing explicit information)
- Results (including actual data and statistical significance if appropriate)
- Conclusion (interpretation and perspectives: ‘So what?’, ‘What now?’)
We will, however, also consider abstracts presenting innovative study protocols. Such abstracts should be structured with ‘Introduction’ and ‘Participants and Methods’ of the study, and include ‘Study Protocol’ in the title.
Thank you for submitting an abstract for EACD2024. Do not hesitate to encourage your colleagues and those from other fields working on developmental disability to do so as well, in the spirit of the theme of the meeting: ‘Composing a new symphony‘.
Technology & Innovative Product Poster provide the opportunity to present a new, innovative product, tool and/or technology relevant to the area of childhood disability and include discussion on-site. Ideally, these should be solutions that can be quickly implemented in routine practice and/or in daily life. Products, tools and/or technologies that have been piloted or implemented are encouraged. These abstracts should include information that allows session attendees to evaluate the usability and effectiveness of such a product, tool or technology. This category is intended for descriptive abstracts as well as products with more rigorous evaluations. Technology & Innovative Product Poster will be sorted by theme. Each Technology & Innovative Product Poster will be on display during the conference and dedicated poster sessions will be organised.
Please structure your abstract for a Technology & Innovative Product Poster presentation using the following headings:
- Statement of problem
- Description of the product or technology
- Findings to date
- Practical applications
Instructional Courses are didactic sessions of 60 min in the morning with at least 2 instructors addressing a focused theme or method with appeal to a targeted audience. Examples are new assessments, investigations, techniques, treatments etc. The courses shall be interactive and practical.
Please structure your abstract for an Instructional Course using the following headings:
- Objective
- Learning objectives of the course
- Target audience
- Summary
- Outline of the course
Deadlines
Submission deadline
- Mini Symposia: 30 June, 2023 23:59 Central European Summer Time (CEST).
- Other tracks: 6 November, 2023 23:59 Central European Summer Time (CEST).
Notification deadline
- Mini Symposia: 4 September, 2023.
- Other tracks: 18 December, 2023.
Author registration deadline
- Mini Symposia: 2 February 2024.
- Other tracks: 2 February 2024.