October 2016  

 
Welcome to the October edition of CanChild Today! In this issue, we are proud to feature new videos and resources resulting from recent collaborations with researchers, families and organizations around the world. We also invite you to join us in celebrating good news and recent publications from the CanChild community!  

Please feel free to share CanChild resources and this newsletter with family, friends and colleagues. They can subscribe to the CanChild Today e-Newsletter for free by registering   here . Our past issues are archived on the CanChild website and can be accessed here!  
 
New Video!  

DMCN Author Podcast: Peter Rosenbaum and Briano Di Rezze 


The Autism Classification System of Functioning: Social Communication (ACSF:SC), provides a standardized and simplified way for clinicians, therapists, teachers, and parents to talk about what a child's social communication abilities are - what they CAN do rather than what they cannot.
  

News & Announcements!

"Cerebral Palsy: The Six 'F-Words' for CP" poster

We couldn't be happier with the global response to the "Cerebral Palsy: The Six 'F-Words' for CP" poster!

The poster, produced in collaboration with World CP Day organization, has been downloaded over 1200 times and translated into Chinese, Dutch, French, Indonesian, Portuguese and Arabic. Translations for Spanish, Serbian, Bangla and Polish are on the way!

Learn more about the "'F-words' in disability" here and use the #fwords hashtag on social media to share what they mean to you and your family.




CanChild Scientists Featured in New Video Series

CanChild scientists are featured in a number of new videos produced by the Cerebral Palsy Foundation as part of their partnership with the ABC sitcom Speechless

Each video has had thousands of views on Facebook. Please share with family, friends and colleagues to help raise awareness of CP and CanChild research!


Jan Willem Gorter discusses teens in transition. What do you do to encourage your child's independence? 


Darcy Fehlings explains how CP can affect the brain depending on the type and location of the brain injury. 



Peter Rosenbaum presents an overview of CP, including what we can do to help individuals with CP and their families. 

Biggest Misconception: CP is all the same
Darcy Fehlings addresses one of the biggest CP myths of all.

Jan Willem Gorter sums up the groundbreaking "F-words" paper in 30 seconds!



Congratulations to Debra Stewart!

Debra Stewart was presented with the Honourary Life Membership Award from the Ontario Society of Occupational Therapists (OSOT) on September 23rd, 2016. The award recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the field of occupational therapy in Ontario, and was presented at the OSOT Conference. Read more about the award and Debra's distinguished career here


Key Articles for Occupational Therapy Month

The publication Opening doors to participation of youth with physical disabilities: An intervention study was highlighted as a key article for Occupational Therapy Month by the Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy. 

The article describes a study that helped inform the development of the recently-released PREP Intervention Protocol, an evidence-based approach to occupational therapy that focuses on enhancing participation through modifying the environment.  Visit the shop and learn more about PREP!

Recent Publications by CanChild Members

Families of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often utilize a variety of professional services. Accessing these services can provide potential benefits, but the process of accessing, navigating and participating in these services can also place additional demands on the family, particularly on the mother. This study evaluates the relationship between interactions with service systems and maternal psychological wellbeing. This study is novel in that the majority of existing research concerning the psychological wellbeing of parents of a child with ASD focuses on family or child factors, rather than interactions with service systems. Understanding how the access of professional services impacts maternal psychological wellbeing is crucial to improving services and systems of care. 

AuthorsHodgetts S, McConnell D, Zwaigenbaum L, Nicholas DChild Care Health Dev. 2016 Sep 12. doi: 10.1111/cch.12398. [Epub ahead of print]


The family environment is of unquestionable importance in the development of children with neurodisabilities, and research on the family has grown considerably over the past 30 years. The purpose of this study is to outline the scope of measures of family environment used in this research, describe frequently used measures in terms of their theoretical and practical characteristics,   and explore  how measures of family environment has and can be used in research. Challenges, opportunities and recommendations on how to improve the use of family environment measures are discussed. 

AuthorsKetelaar M, Bogossian A, Saini M, Visser-Meily A, Lach LDev Med Child Neurol. 2016 Oct 3. doi: 10.1111/dmcn.13287. [Epub ahead of print]

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