Our team aims to develop training materials with and for youth with neurodevelopmental disabilities to support their knowledge, skills, and confidence as research partners.

Different from being a research participant (patient as a data point), a research partner plays an equal and active role as part of the research team. They help guide the research process by setting priorities that are meaningful and relevant to patients and their community.

We are looking for youth (ages 18-25) with neurodevelopmental condition(s) to participate in an online focus group or individual interview to discuss training needs.

Please contact Samantha Dong (dongy58@mcmaster.ca) if you are interested or have any questions.

Thank you in advance! Your perspectives will be valuable for informing the development of future training materials.

CanChild Associate Member Dr. Jill Zwicker has received a Canada Research Chair in Pediatric Brain Development and Rehabilitation.

Dr. Zwicker is an Associate Professor in the Department of Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy at The University of British Columbia, where she will hold the award for five years.

CanChild Associate Member Dr. Iona Novak has been awarded the Elsass Foundation Research Prize for her leadership and significant contribution in the field of Cerebral Palsy (CP) research.

The prestigious award will support Dr. Novak’s goal to discover and test new treatments in priority areas identified by people with CP. “Professor Novak is recognized internationally for her leadership and research in the evidence base for rehabilitation, early intervention, and more recently the potential for stem cell therapy towards a cure for cerebral palsy,” says Professor Thomas Sinkjær, Chairman of the Selection Committee.

We are looking for a Graduate student in Rehabilitation Science to help conduct an exciting new Transition Project.

Principal Investigator: Dr. Michelle Batthish

Supervisor: Dr. Jan Willem Gorter

The successful candidate will:

Applicants must be based in Hamilton, ON as the study runs at McMaster Children's Hospital.

batthim@mcmaster.ca and gorter@mcmaster.ca

Siblings share a lifelong bond in their relationship. When a brother or sister has a neurodisability, a sibling may choose to provide support. This review aims to summarize the characteristics and outcomes of programmes designed to prepare siblings in their future roles to support their brother or sister with a neurodisability. The researchers describe how they will carry out the scoping review in this protocol paper. In partnership with the Sibling Youth Advisory Council, they plan to share the findings with stakeholders such as healthcare providers, researchers, and patient and family advocacy groups. Authors: Nguyen L, Bootsma J, Di Rezze B, Jack S, Ketelaar M, Gorter JW. BMJ Open. 2021 Jul 7;11(7):e053184. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-053184.

This study found that children needed to practice for more than a threshold dose of 30-40 hours to achieve clinically significant improvements in motor ability. They are also likely to achieve individual goals if they have set their own goals and have practiced for more than 14-25 hours. However, the inconsistencies in dose among effective and ineffective interventions show that dose is not the only important factor; there are other critical components such as efficacy, enjoyment, and collaborative goal-setting. Occupational Therapists should consider how to achieve threshold dose when planning for intervention. Moreover, a home programme can supplement face-to-face intervention to achieve the threshold dose of practice. Authors: Jackman M, Lannin N, Galea C, Sakzewski L, Miller L, Novak I. Aust Occup Ther J. 2020 Jun;67(3):269-280. doi: 10.1111/1440-1630.12666.

Children with more severe Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) were diagnosed earlier if their care providers received domestic training compared to children with care providers who received foreign training. Sociodemographic characteristics of the child and family were not associated with the age of the first ASD diagnosis. After identification of any developmental delay, children who received care from a family physician in an enrollment model were diagnosed earlier than children who received care from a pediatrician. The findings of this study can inform primary care provider training focusing on ASD and opportunities for early intervention offered by early diagnosis. Authors: Siddiqua A, Janus M, Mesterman R, Duku E, Georgiades K, Saxena F, Zhao H, Saunders N. J Autism Dev Disord. 2021 Jun 29. doi: 10.1007/s10803-021-05165-8.