Ideas worth spreading

An innovative way to support children with special needs

1,471,408 views | Billy Samuel Mwape • TED@PMI

After his son was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, Billy Samuel Mwape realized that his project management skills might be put to use to support his child's special needs. In this inspiring, personal talk, he describes how project management -- the process of leading a team's work to achieve goals on a tight timeline -- can help you tackle life's biggest challenges.

After his son was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, Billy Samuel Mwape realized that his project management skills might be put to use to support his child's special needs. In this inspiring, personal talk, he describes how project management -- the process of leading a team's work to achieve goals on a tight timeline -- can help you tackle life's biggest challenges.

This talk was presented at a TED Institute event given in partnership with Project Management Institute. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

Read more about the TED Institute.

About the speaker

Billy Samuel Mwape

Computer scientist, project management consultant, business strategist

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Billy Samuel Mwape is a computer scientist, project management expert and business strategist with more than 16 years of experience in the banking and mining sectors.

Anat Baniel | TarcherPerigee, 2012 | Book

Kids Beyond Limits: The Anat Baniel Method for Awakening the Brain and Transforming the Life of Your Child With Special Needs

Connection, rather than fixing, results in magnificent results. Children with neurological disorders can learn more about their bodies through a series of small body movements which target the brain and not the muscles.

Karen Pape | Barlow Publishing, 2016 | Book

The Boy Who Could Run But Not Walk: Understanding Neuroplasticity in the Child’s Brain

This book is evidence that children can build new neural paths to learn new skills. The process takes longer because it is the growth of the brain racing against the acquisition of missing information/skills. The Boy Who Could Run But Not Walk is a clear demonstration of how most physical challenges in children with special needs are because of reinforced bad habits, rather than disability.

Kent Beck, et al. | 2001 | Article

"Manifesto for Agile Software Development"

I was able to come up with a customized methodology to manage our son as a project using agile values and principles coupled with computer programming techniques.

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About TED Institute

Every year, TED works with a group of select companies and foundations to identify internal ideators, inventors, connectors, and creators. Drawing on the same rigorous regimen that has prepared speakers for the TED main stage, TED Institute works closely with each partner, overseeing curation and providing intensive one-on-one talk development to sharpen and fine tune ideas. The culmination is an event produced, recorded, and hosted by TED, generating a growing library of valuable TED Talks that can spur innovation and transform organizations.

Read more about the TED Institute

This talk was presented at a TED Institute event given in partnership with Project Management Institute. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

Read more about the TED Institute.