Greetings!

Welcome to the May 19th edition of CanChild Today! In this jam-packed issue, we want to highlight a course on family engagement in research, an upcoming research symposium, a postdoctoral fellowship opportunity, a research opportunity, a new research grant, and summaries of three recent publications.

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Family Engagement in Research Course Applications!
Are you a family member or researcher interested in family engagement in research? The Family Engagement in Research (FER) course might be for you!

Applications are now open for the Kids Brain Health NetworkCanChild, and McMaster University Continuing Education FER Certificate of Completion Program.

Interested? Here is what you need to know:
  • Fall 2022 Cohort runs from September 19th to November 27th, 2022.
  • Winter 2023 Cohort runs from January 16th to March 26th, 2023.
  • Application deadline for both cohorts is June 6th, 2022.
  • Successful applicants will be notified by August 2nd, 2022.
  • Course fees are $500 CAD (due if accepted into the program). Please note that scholarships are limited and priority is given to family partners and trainees.
Upcoming Research Symposium!
Enhancing Caregiver Wellbeing: A Collaborative Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT) Intervention

This talk will introduce the audience to a collaborative ACT intervention for family caregivers of people with neurodevelopmental disabilities. We will offer examples of ACT exercises and reflect on the importance of caregiver-clinician partnerships in service delivery, including their impact on caregiver participants.

Johanna Lake is a Clinician Scientist and Clinical Psychologist at the Azrieli Adult Neurodevelopmental Centre at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). Lee Steel is the proud parent of two adult children. Her eldest son was diagnosed with a neurodevelopmental disability when he was a toddler 27 years ago. Lee is the Family Advisor at the Azrieli Adult Neurodevelopmental Centre at CAMH.
Participate in Research!
Are you a family member of a child or adolescent with Cerebral Palsy (ages 2 to 18 years old)?

Would you like to participate in a study to test a new instrument called the Gross Motor Function Family Report (GMF-FR)?

It will only take 5-15 minutes of your time, and you can do it online at home!

If you are interested or have any questions, please email chagasp@mcmaster.ca
Postdoctoral Fellowship Opportunity!
The Possibility Engineering and Research Lab (PEARL) at the Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital works closely with families, clinicians, and an interdisciplinary team to co-create, evaluate and translate digital media to support opportunities for well-being, play, and learning for children of all abilities. Applications are invited for a 1-year, full-time Post-Doctoral Fellow (PDF) position to work with Dr. Elaine Biddiss, a rehabilitation engineer with the Institute of Biomedical Engineering and the Institute of Rehabilitation Science at the University of Toronto. In this role, the PDF will have the opportunity to participate in multiple tri-council funded projects, develop skills in technology design and evaluation, translational research, project management, technology transfer, trainee mentorship, networking, and grant and paper writing. They will work alongside an interdisciplinary team, children of diverse abilities and their families, to study the use and impact of technologies, such as movement-tracking video games for rehabilitation therapies, and artificially intelligent apps for inclusive and home-based early childhood music education. All activities aim to foster more equitable participation in research and access to health innovations for positive impact.

Deadline: June 1st, 2022
New Grant Awarded!
Congratulations to CanChild investigators on receiving a research grant from the Ontario Ministry of Children, Community, and Social Services! The grant will fund the year one evaluation phase of implementing the Partnering for Change (P4C) tiered services in Ontario (April 2022 to March 2023).

Principal Investigator: Campbell, W.

Co-Investigators: VanderKaay, S., Bennett, S., Camden, C., Kyte, C., Janus, M., Missiuna, C., Ng, S., Parekh, G., Phoenix, M., Specht, J., & Whitley, J.
Featured CanChild Product!
The Partnering for Change (P4C) OT Modules consist of 7 distinct educational modules, each with a specific learning focus. The Modules are 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.
Recent Publications by CanChild Members!
Perspectives of Children and Youth With Disabilities and Special Needs Regarding Their Experiences in Inclusive Education: A Meta-Aggregative Review.  

In this qualitative review study, the authors synthesized primary studies about the perspectives of children and youth with disabilities and special education needs regarding their experiences in inclusive education. The findings showed that when provided opportunities, children and youth with disabilities and special needs demonstrated profound personal understandings of their strengths, needs, their health conditions and how these impact their lives, and what kind of supports they do or don’t need or want at school, leading to important insights for inclusive education practice and policy.

Authors: Paul, T., Di Rezze, B., Rosenbaum, P., Cahill, P., Jiang, A., Kim, E., & Campbell, W. (2022). Frontiers in Education, 7. doi: 10.3389/feduc.2022.864752
‘This battle, between your gut feeling and your mind. Try to find the right balance’: Parental experiences of children with spinal muscular atrophy during COVID‐19 pandemic.

Parents of children with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) often struggle with the all-consuming demands of caring for a child with substantial physical needs. The study aimed to explore the experiences, challenges, and needs of parents of a child with SMA in a COVID-19 pandemic situation. Parents mentioned the protection of the health and well-being of the child as the central perspective and driving force during the COVID-19 pandemic. Three subthemes were identified: (1) responsibility, (2) balancing vulnerability and resilience, and (3) (in)security. Some parents focused on the positive aspects during the lockdown, such as the continuation of certain treatments and family life. Some parents described helpful and positive thoughts to cope with the situation. The study found that parents of children with SMA need information and value direct contact with a healthcare professional to share their dilemmas and insecurities. The dialogue can help to empower parents in the conflicts and decisions they have to make during a pandemic.

Authors: Oude Lansink, I. L. B., Stam, P. C. C., Schafrat, E. C. W. M., Mocking, M., Prins, S. D., Beelen, A., Cuppen, I., Pol, W. L., Gorter, J. W., & Ketelaar, M. (2022). Child: Care, Health and Development, cch.13014. doi: 10.1111/cch.13014
Investigating the mediating role of internalizing and externalizing problems on physical fitness in children at risk for Developmental Coordination Disorder.  

Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) have poorer fitness and greater internalizing/externalizing problems compared with typically developing (TD) children. The purpose of this study was to examine the potential mediating role of internalizing/externalizing problems on the relationship between children at risk for DCD (DCDr) and physical fitness. The 589 participants included 288 children with DCDr and 301 TD children. Several components were measured: motor skills, parent-reported internalizing/externalizing problems, and physical fitness on the treadmill and Wingate test. The authors found that children with DCDr had significantly higher internalizing and externalizing problems and poorer fitness levels. Internalizing problems mediated physical fitness performance; however, externalizing problems showed no mediating effects. Therefore, interventions targeting internalizing problems may contribute to improving performance on fitness-based tasks among children with DCDr.

Authors: James, M. E., Graham, J. D., Chirico, D., King-Dowling, S., & Cairney, J. (2022). Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 47(5), 575–581. doi: 10.1139/apnm-2021-0369
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