diff --git a/bower.json b/bower.json
index 30ed46d..44144c6 100644
--- a/bower.json
+++ b/bower.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
     "name": "knockout-amd-helpers",
-    "version": "0.6.1",
+    "version": "0.6.2",
     "main": "build/knockout-amd-helpers.min.js",
     "ignore": [
         "examples",
diff --git a/build/knockout-amd-helpers.js b/build/knockout-amd-helpers.js
index 0976404..1aed107 100644
--- a/build/knockout-amd-helpers.js
+++ b/build/knockout-amd-helpers.js
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// knockout-amd-helpers 0.6.1 | (c) 2014 Ryan Niemeyer |  http://www.opensource.org/licenses/mit-license
+// knockout-amd-helpers 0.6.2 | (c) 2014 Ryan Niemeyer |  http://www.opensource.org/licenses/mit-license
 define(["knockout"], function(ko) {
 
 //helper functions to support the binding and template engine (whole lib is wrapped in an IIFE)
@@ -45,18 +45,16 @@ ko.bindingHandlers.module = {
             disposeMethod = ko.bindingHandlers.module.disposeMethod;
 
         //build up a proper template binding object
-        if (options && typeof options === "object") {
-            templateBinding.templateEngine = options.templateEngine;
+        templateBinding.templateEngine = options && options.templateEngine;
 
-            //afterRender could be different for each module, create a wrapper
-            templateBinding.afterRender = function() {
-                var options = unwrap(valueAccessor());
+        //afterRender could be different for each module, create a wrapper
+        templateBinding.afterRender = function() {
+            var options = unwrap(valueAccessor());
 
-                if (options && typeof options.afterRender === "function") {
-                    options.afterRender.apply(this, arguments);
-                }
-            };
-        }
+            if (options && typeof options.afterRender === "function") {
+                options.afterRender.apply(this, arguments);
+            }
+        };
 
         //if this is not an anonymous template, then build a function to properly return the template name
         if (!isAnonymous(element)) {
diff --git a/build/knockout-amd-helpers.min.js b/build/knockout-amd-helpers.min.js
index ac20cde..030f373 100644
--- a/build/knockout-amd-helpers.min.js
+++ b/build/knockout-amd-helpers.min.js
@@ -1,2 +1,2 @@
-// knockout-amd-helpers 0.6.1 | (c) 2014 Ryan Niemeyer |  http://www.opensource.org/licenses/mit-license
-define(["knockout"],function(a){var b=window.require||window.curl,c=a.utils.unwrapObservable,d=function(a,b){var c,d=function(){return a.apply(this,b||[])};return d.prototype=a.prototype,c=new d,c.constructor=a,c},e=function(a){return a&&a.replace(/\/?$/,"/")},f=function(b){for(var c=a.virtualElements.firstChild(b);c;){if(1===c.nodeType||8===c.nodeType)return!0;c=a.virtualElements.nextSibling(c)}return!1};a.bindingHandlers.module={init:function(g,h,i,j,k){var l,m,n=h(),o=c(n),p={},q=a.bindingHandlers.module.initializer,r=a.bindingHandlers.module.disposeMethod;return o&&"object"==typeof o&&(p.templateEngine=o.templateEngine,p.afterRender=function(){var a=c(h());a&&"function"==typeof a.afterRender&&a.afterRender.apply(this,arguments)}),f(g)||(p.name=function(){var a=c(n);return(a&&"object"==typeof a?c(a.template||a.name):a)||""}),p.data=a.observable(),p["if"]=p.data,a.applyBindingsToNode(g,{template:p},l=k.extend({$module:null})),m=function(){a.computed(function(){var a=p.data();a&&("function"==typeof a[r]&&(a[r].call(a),a=null),p.data(null))}).dispose()},a.computed({read:function(){var f,g=c(n);g&&"object"==typeof g&&(q=g.initializer||q,r=g.disposeMethod||r,f=[].concat(c(g.data)),g=c(g.name)),m(),g&&b([e(a.bindingHandlers.module.baseDir)+g],function(a){"function"==typeof a?a=d(a,f):a&&a[q]&&(a=a[q].apply(a,f||[])||a),l.$module=a,p.data(a)})},disposeWhenNodeIsRemoved:g}),a.utils.domNodeDisposal.addDisposeCallback(g,m),{controlsDescendantBindings:!0}},baseDir:"",initializer:"initialize",disposeMethod:"dispose"},a.virtualElements&&(a.virtualElements.allowedBindings.module=!0),function(a,b){var c=new a.nativeTemplateEngine,d=(c.renderTemplate,{});c.defaultPath="templates",c.defaultSuffix=".tmpl.html",c.defaultRequireTextPluginName="text",a.templateSources.requireTemplate=function(b){this.key=b,this.template=a.observable(" "),this.requested=!1,this.retrieved=!1},a.templateSources.requireTemplate.prototype.text=function(){return!this.requested&&this.key&&(b([c.defaultRequireTextPluginName+"!"+e(c.defaultPath)+this.key+c.defaultSuffix],function(a){this.retrieved=!0,this.template(a)}.bind(this)),this.requested=!0),this.key||this.template(""),0===arguments.length?this.template():void 0},c.makeTemplateSource=function(b,c){var e;return"string"==typeof b?(e=(c||document).getElementById(b),e&&"script"===e.tagName.toLowerCase()?new a.templateSources.domElement(e):(b in d||(d[b]=new a.templateSources.requireTemplate(b)),d[b])):!b||1!==b.nodeType&&8!==b.nodeType?void 0:new a.templateSources.anonymousTemplate(b)},c.renderTemplate=function(b,d,e,f){var g=c.makeTemplateSource(b,f),h=e&&e.afterRender;return"function"==typeof h&&g instanceof a.templateSources.requireTemplate&&!g.retrieved&&(e.afterRender=function(){g.retrieved&&h.apply(this,arguments)}),c.renderTemplateSource(g,d,e)},a.amdTemplateEngine=c,a.setTemplateEngine(c)}(a,b)});
\ No newline at end of file
+// knockout-amd-helpers 0.6.2 | (c) 2014 Ryan Niemeyer |  http://www.opensource.org/licenses/mit-license
+define(["knockout"],function(a){var b=window.require||window.curl,c=a.utils.unwrapObservable,d=function(a,b){var c,d=function(){return a.apply(this,b||[])};return d.prototype=a.prototype,c=new d,c.constructor=a,c},e=function(a){return a&&a.replace(/\/?$/,"/")},f=function(b){for(var c=a.virtualElements.firstChild(b);c;){if(1===c.nodeType||8===c.nodeType)return!0;c=a.virtualElements.nextSibling(c)}return!1};a.bindingHandlers.module={init:function(g,h,i,j,k){var l,m,n=h(),o=c(n),p={},q=a.bindingHandlers.module.initializer,r=a.bindingHandlers.module.disposeMethod;return p.templateEngine=o&&o.templateEngine,p.afterRender=function(){var a=c(h());a&&"function"==typeof a.afterRender&&a.afterRender.apply(this,arguments)},f(g)||(p.name=function(){var a=c(n);return(a&&"object"==typeof a?c(a.template||a.name):a)||""}),p.data=a.observable(),p["if"]=p.data,a.applyBindingsToNode(g,{template:p},l=k.extend({$module:null})),m=function(){a.computed(function(){var a=p.data();a&&("function"==typeof a[r]&&(a[r].call(a),a=null),p.data(null))}).dispose()},a.computed({read:function(){var f,g=c(n);g&&"object"==typeof g&&(q=g.initializer||q,r=g.disposeMethod||r,f=[].concat(c(g.data)),g=c(g.name)),m(),g&&b([e(a.bindingHandlers.module.baseDir)+g],function(a){"function"==typeof a?a=d(a,f):a&&a[q]&&(a=a[q].apply(a,f||[])||a),l.$module=a,p.data(a)})},disposeWhenNodeIsRemoved:g}),a.utils.domNodeDisposal.addDisposeCallback(g,m),{controlsDescendantBindings:!0}},baseDir:"",initializer:"initialize",disposeMethod:"dispose"},a.virtualElements&&(a.virtualElements.allowedBindings.module=!0),function(a,b){var c=new a.nativeTemplateEngine,d=(c.renderTemplate,{});c.defaultPath="templates",c.defaultSuffix=".tmpl.html",c.defaultRequireTextPluginName="text",a.templateSources.requireTemplate=function(b){this.key=b,this.template=a.observable(" "),this.requested=!1,this.retrieved=!1},a.templateSources.requireTemplate.prototype.text=function(){return!this.requested&&this.key&&(b([c.defaultRequireTextPluginName+"!"+e(c.defaultPath)+this.key+c.defaultSuffix],function(a){this.retrieved=!0,this.template(a)}.bind(this)),this.requested=!0),this.key||this.template(""),0===arguments.length?this.template():void 0},c.makeTemplateSource=function(b,c){var e;return"string"==typeof b?(e=(c||document).getElementById(b),e&&"script"===e.tagName.toLowerCase()?new a.templateSources.domElement(e):(b in d||(d[b]=new a.templateSources.requireTemplate(b)),d[b])):!b||1!==b.nodeType&&8!==b.nodeType?void 0:new a.templateSources.anonymousTemplate(b)},c.renderTemplate=function(b,d,e,f){var g=c.makeTemplateSource(b,f),h=e&&e.afterRender;return"function"==typeof h&&g instanceof a.templateSources.requireTemplate&&!g.retrieved&&(e.afterRender=function(){g.retrieved&&h.apply(this,arguments)}),c.renderTemplateSource(g,d,e)},a.amdTemplateEngine=c,a.setTemplateEngine(c)}(a,b)});
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index a1e2c32..5ed7a8d 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "knockout-amd-helpers",
-  "version": "0.6.1",
+  "version": "0.6.2",
   "devDependencies": {
     "grunt": "~0.4.1",
     "grunt-contrib-uglify": "~0.2.0",
diff --git a/spec/amdBindings.spec.js b/spec/amdBindings.spec.js
index 9927175..7864593 100644
--- a/spec/amdBindings.spec.js
+++ b/spec/amdBindings.spec.js
@@ -469,6 +469,22 @@ define(["knockout", "knockout-amd-helpers"], function(ko) {
                     });
                 });
 
+                it("should call afterRender, even when initial value was null", function(done) {
+                    var observable = ko.observable(null),
+                        afterRender = jasmine.createSpy("afterRender");
+
+                    applyBindings("module: test", { test: observable }, null, function() {
+                        updateObservable(observable, {
+                            name: "static-no-initialize",
+                            afterRender: afterRender
+                        }, function() {
+                            expect(container.innerText).toEqual("static-no-initialize: Bob Smith");
+                            expect(afterRender.calls.count()).toEqual(1);
+                            done();
+                        });
+                    });
+                });
+
                 describe("observable is empty", function() {
                     it("should not error out initially", function(done) {
                         var observable = ko.observable();
diff --git a/src/amdBindings.js b/src/amdBindings.js
index 62f8287..d2d07c0 100644
--- a/src/amdBindings.js
+++ b/src/amdBindings.js
@@ -9,18 +9,16 @@ ko.bindingHandlers.module = {
             disposeMethod = ko.bindingHandlers.module.disposeMethod;
 
         //build up a proper template binding object
-        if (options && typeof options === "object") {
-            templateBinding.templateEngine = options.templateEngine;
+        templateBinding.templateEngine = options && options.templateEngine;
 
-            //afterRender could be different for each module, create a wrapper
-            templateBinding.afterRender = function() {
-                var options = unwrap(valueAccessor());
+        //afterRender could be different for each module, create a wrapper
+        templateBinding.afterRender = function() {
+            var options = unwrap(valueAccessor());
 
-                if (options && typeof options.afterRender === "function") {
-                    options.afterRender.apply(this, arguments);
-                }
-            };
-        }
+            if (options && typeof options.afterRender === "function") {
+                options.afterRender.apply(this, arguments);
+            }
+        };
 
         //if this is not an anonymous template, then build a function to properly return the template name
         if (!isAnonymous(element)) {