Warm holiday wishes from all of us at CanChild!
Thank you for a wonderful year. We look forward to all we can accomplish together in 2017!
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New Product!
Partnering For Change (P4C) OT Modules
We are thrilled to announce the release of the Partnering for Change (P4C) OT Modules, designed to
assist occupational therapists in acquiring the baseline knowledge and skills required to implement the P4C model of service effectively.
The Modules are intended to support school-based occupational therapists in making a significant shift in their practice; moving from an impairment-focused, one-to-one model of rehabilitation service to the P4C Model of Service, which is a population-based, occupation-focused approach aimed at improving participation, building capacity, and fostering self- and family-management.
The content of the Modules was chosen to best support occupational therapists in making the transition to this new model of practice.
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Recent Publications by CanChild Members
Information seeking by parents of children with physical disabilities: An exploratory qualitative study
"Empowerment" describes the process in which parents develop the motivation and ability to be involved in decision-making in regards to their children with disabilities. Information provision plays a huge role in this process, yet
pediatric
rehabilitation literature suggests that these parents feel that their information needs are not being met. Challenges surrounding this area may be due to the difficulty parents experience in pinpointing and communicating their exact needs, or the difficulty in providing tailored information to each unique family. Therefore, it is crucial to understand how parents fill the information gaps in order to improve information provision to empower parents. Through semi-structured interviews , the following themes were identified in the empowerment process: Firstly, information needs can be triggered by an experience or situation, and will vary with the child's age. Parents also struggle with finding the information they need, especially if their child is diagnosed with a rare condition. In seeking the information, parents employ a wide range of search strategies, and will simultaneously explore different avenues for obtaining the information. The most frequently used sources include healthcare professionals, professionals affiliated with a rehabilitation centre, institutions such as governments and hospitals, and peers. Lastly, it was found that parents utilize different sources for different types of information. For professional medical information, parents valued information from medical doctors the most. However, for experience-based knowledge, which involves questions about the home situation or day-to-day care, parents preferred information from peers, both in person and through online communities. Through understanding the strategies and processes employed by parents in obtaining information, professionals can better provide information and ensure parents feel sufficiently informed to take an active role in decision-making for their child.
Pain in both children and adults with cerebral palsy is a common issue that must be addressed, as pain can limit participation and daily functioning, and has a negative impact on one's mental health and quality of life. The aim of the study was to identify factors associated with change in pain status over time for children with cerebral palsy. Participants aged 3 to 19 with a diagnosis of cerebral palsy across all GMFCS levels were recruited from an outpatient clinic at the Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital. Participants were assessed for the presence/absence of pain at two time points, at least 6 months apart, by both caregivers using the Health Utilities Index 3 (HUI3) and by physicians, who also identified the causes of pain. Results indicated that children with CP with higher pain severity at the initial visit and higher levels of gross motor function (ex. GMFCS level 1) have greater improvements in pain status over time. The researchers hope that these findings highlight the need for the assessment and treatment of pain, and for preventative approaches to pain management in children with CP.
Despite the current drive by healthcare professionals to move beyond categorical thinking and the use of negative "d-words" (i.e. damage, defect, depressing) in describing childhood disability, traditional thinking and language still pervades. As healthcare professionals are only a small part of a child's life, it is
imperative that we
move the field forward so that our society recognizes the individual realities of each person, despite biological or functional differences. To drive the field forward, health care professionals must become active knowledge brokers. By promoting the understanding and use of modern language, thoughts and actions surrounding childhood disability can be changed. It is essential to replace the negative d-words that are so widely used with positive ideas such as diversity, difference, and development, which serve to remind us of the variability in our world. By engaging in this conversation with every individual and at every opportunity, whether it is through the clinic, case conferences, advocacy letters, online forums, social media, the field can move forward and align with modern thinking.
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