Remember to register for the first Canadian Transition to Adulthood Pop-Up Event! Together, let us promote the best possible health outcomes for youth and families and celebrate what we are learning and doing to help young people to develop fully, even when they are challenged by health conditions. Please click the links below for more information. We hope to see you there!

Our first event will take place on January 28 (Thursday) at 7:00 PM EST. The topic of the first session is family well-being, presented by the ENVISAGE (Enabling Visions and Growing Expectations) Research team. They will be sharing their experiences with developing a virtual workshop for parents who are new to the experience of childhood disability. 

For more information, please contact Kinga Pozniak or Rachel Martens at fer@mcmaster.ca.

You are invited to the upcoming CP-NET Webinar on Patient Engagement in Research: The value and impact of genuine partnerships! Together, we will explore what genuine patient and family engagement in research looks like in practice, learn about the experiences of researchers in CP-NET projects, and understand patient engagement from the perspective of a young adult with Cerebral Palsy. You will have the opportunity to ask questions and learn more about how to get involved as a family or patient partner. For more information, please contact Alice Soper at sopera@mcmaster.ca.

Lita, a 24-year-old with an intellectual disability who loves to read and watch hockey. She dreams of living independently in her own apartment one day.

Sharon Wong, Director of Commercialization at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital. Sharon helps technology integration in healthcare through partnerships between industry and research.

Andrea Palmer, Founder and CEO of Awake Labs. An entrepreneur and a tech geek, Andrea is committed to empowering care for people with brain disorders – starting with autism.

Angel Vibert, Director of Community Residential Services at Community Living North Bay. Angel is committed to creating environments for people with intellectual disabilities that promote their independence, participation, and inclusion in the community.

Diane Dewing, a mother of four including Jessica, a non-verbal 35-year-old women living with anxiety. Diane has 38 years of teaching experience facilitating inclusive classrooms and was President of the Ontario Teachers’ Federation.

Rackeb Tesfaye, Science Communicator & PhD Candidate,

Thursday, January 21, 2021 | 6:30 to 7:30 PM EST

In Linda Nguyen’s doctoral studies, she partners with the Sibling Youth Advisory Council (SibYAC) to understand the experiences of siblings who have a brother or sister with a disability and preparing for health care transition.

SibYAC members from left to right: Dana Arafeh, Linda Nguyen, Hanae Davis, Jessica Havens, and

CanChild's Concussion Research is now on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! Get the latest updates about the Back2Play App, research findings, concussion resources, and more.

Click the icons below to connect with us!

CanChild Director Dr. Jan Willem Gorter is now the appointed Editor in Chief of the journal Child: Care, Health and Development. 

Parents' involvement in their children's intervention is associated with positive rehabilitation outcomes. While interests in parent engagement are growing, there are currently no appropriate tools to measure their participation. This study explored the reliability of the Pediatric Rehabilitation Intervention Measure of Engagement—Parent version (PRIME-P), a measure that parents use to report their thoughts and perceptions during their child's therapy sessions. The PRIME-P displayed a robust factor structure, good psychometric properties, and evidence of construct validity. Moreover, the analyses revealed that a highly engaged parent sees the intervention plan as appropriate, feels like a partner in the process, and expects to have positive outcomes for their child. Authors: King G, Chiarello L, McLarnon MJW, Ziviani J, Pinto M, Wright F, Phoenix M. Disabil Rehabil. 2021 Jan 4:1-10. doi: 10.1080/09638288.2020.1864036

Focus on the Outcomes of Communication Under Six (FOCUS) is a measurement tool that asks parents to rate items related to how their children use communication to participate in everyday activities. Aside from its function in research and clinical practice, large health systems also use FOCUS to evaluate the impact of speech-language interventions. Results of this review reported growth in communicative participation across impairments, functional levels, and contexts. In addition, there is a weak to no correlation between changes in impairment and participation. This review highlights the need for additional research related to both the FOCUS and children’s communicative participation. Authors: Cunningham BJ, Thomas-Stonell N, Rosenbaum P. Dev Med Child Neurol. 2021 Jan;63(1):47-53. doi: 10.1111/dmcn.14665.

Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) is characterized by impaired gross and fine motor skills, making it difficult for children to do certain activities associated with daily living. This study indicated that preschool children with DCD experience more internalizing problems, including emotion control, withdrawal from social interactions, and complaints of somatic responses (e.g., headache or diarrhea). Neither physical activity nor Body Mass Index directly impacts internalizing problems or mediate the relationship between motor impairments and mental health problems. Further research should incorporate social and personal resources to better understand the context of the development of mental health problems in preschool children with DCD. Authors: Li YC, Kwan MYW, King-Dowling S, Rodriguez MC, Cairney J. Hum Mov Sci. 2020 Dec 31;75:102744. doi: 10.1016/j.humov.2020.102744.