Dr. Wenonah Campbell, CanChild Scientist, holds the John and Margaret Lillie Chair in Childhood Disability Research and was recently recognized in the 2021 McMaster Campus Banner Campaign for helping all children thrive in the classroom. The banner campaign recognizes researchers’ success, expertise and association with McMaster University.

This banner recognizes the importance of the research supported by the John and Margaret Lillie Chair, which was established in 2000 via generous gifts from a consortium of donors, including Mr. Don Pollock, Mrs. Anne Pollock, Mrs. Barbara Misener, Mr. Charles Misener and Ms. Anne Tilley to contribute significantly to the body of scholarship on childhood disability research.

The F-Words team is developing a free online self-paced F-words training program for families and service providers!

The goal is to increase the accessibility of F-words training, empower families, promote parenting confidence, and support family-centred service.

We are designing the training modules around family experiences, and we need your help.

Please share photos or videos of you spending time with family and friends, having fun, working on your future goals, or anything related to the

F-words. You can upload them here.

Contributors will receive an Amazon gift card. Thank you, and we strongly appreciate your collaboration in developing the F-words training program. For any questions, please reach out to fwords@mcmaster.ca

If you have a child who has been receiving developmental, medical or behavioural services (for example occupational, physical, speech or behavioural therapy) for at least 6 months in the past 5 years…

Researchers at CanChild Centre for Childhood Disability Research, McMaster University invite you to participate in a research study about your experiences with health providers.

Join us for a conversation with other parents/caregivers to hear about your experiences and your ideas about how they can be improved.

For more information, email Sarah Earl at: wellman@mcmaster.ca

The Concussion SMART event is a fun and interactive concussion education experience for children, youth, parents, teachers, trainers and coaches!

Saturday, 27 Nov 2021, 9:00 AM EST

McMaster Innovation Park, 175 Longwood Road South, Suite 101A, Hamilton, ON L8P 0A1

Join the Back2Play team led by Carol DeMatteo to learn about:

You will get a chance to meet local sports heroes and win prizes. Each session will be limited to 40 participants, make sure to register now.

CanChild and Kids Brain Health Network are excited to invite you to the next Luke’s Legacy Family Research Rounds, a series of monthly virtual research presentations for families, patients and researchers. The sessions are designed in a family-friendly format with an interactive discussion component.

Topic:

So much to learn: Lessons families have taught me in clinical neuroscience research

Guest Speaker:

Dr. Adam Kirton, Pediatric Neurologist at Alberta Children's Hospital

Date and Time:

Wednesday, November 24 at 7:00 pm EST

In this podcast, CanChild Scientist Dr. Mary Khetani and her team shared how they are using the Young Children's Participation and Environment Measure (YCPEM) to improve the involvement of parents in early intervention service plans for their young children with developmental delays.

This article, collectively co-authored by 24 CanChild researchers, staff, trainees and parents, examines how a culture of family engagement has been built at CanChild Centre for Childhood Disability Research. Over time, parents’ involvement evolved from being consulted on research studies to undertaking decision-making roles as partners. CanChild’s work with parents is underpinned by the values of openness and a commitment to learning and improving. These values are embraced by the leadership, mentored and instilled into the next generation of researchers and permeate all levels of the organization, including both research and clinical work.Opportunities for connecting, training, and knowledge exchange, help to cultivate a growing community of engagement. Authors: Pozniak K, Buchanan F, Cross A, Crowson J, Galuppi B, Grahovac D, Gorter JW, Hlyva O, Ketelaar M, Kraus de Camargo O, Krpan Mesic M, Martens R, McCauley D, Nguyen L, Palisano RJ, Phoenix M, Putterman C, Rosenbaum P, Sprung J, Strohm S, Teplicky R, Thomson D, Wright M. Res Involv Engagem. 2021 Nov 6;7(1):78. doi: 10.1186/s40900-021-00319-5.

Youth with neurodisabilities have higher levels of mental illness than their typically developing peers. This study aims to explore the impact of social participation in the mental health and wellbeing of youth with neurodisabilities. A review of 43 studies identified five intervention approaches related to social participation and mental health outcomes. Participants in this study (youth, parents, and clinicians) reported that social participation interventions should be in a real-life context and incorporate nine key elements: peer involvement, feedback, reward, positive verbal reinforcement, prompts and cues, direct instruction, role modelling, adapting the environment, and natural consequences. Authors: Brooks R, Lambert C, Coulthard L, Pennington L, Kolehmainen N. Child Care Health Dev. 2021 Sep;47(5):675-684. doi: 10.1111/cch.12876.

Experienced clinicians from interdisciplinary teams participated in this study to share their perspectives on the barriers and facilitators to chronic pain management for children and adolescents with cerebral palsy and dyskinesia. Four themes emerged from the focus groups: "balancing the intersection of pain and dyskinesia," "difficulty communicating between so many providers," "uncertainty surrounding chronic pain education," and "differing priorities." Participants also identified a lack of access to some interdisciplinary team members and formalized guidance on chronic pain education as barriers. Future research should look at developing a strategy for implementing effective chronic pain management for children and adolescents. Authors: McKinnon C, White J, Morgan P, Harvey A, Clancy C, Fahey M, Antolovich G. Phys Occup Ther Pediatr. 2021;41(3):244-258. doi: 10.1080/01942638.2020.1847236.