YEAR IN REVIEW 2021-22 Developing Leaders in the Field
Internships, Awards, Practicums and FellowshipsFamily Engagement in ResearchThe Year’s Outstanding Mentors and Trainees
KBHN’s national training program prepares the next generation of professionals to foster better outcomes for children with neurodevelopmental disabilities (NDDs) and their families. It’s a unique experience: Not only do participants help to lead our research projects, they also get rich learning opportunities beyond the lab, from professional-development seminars to frontline internships.
Our trainees include students, postdoctoral researchers, members of our partner organizations, people with lived experiences and other allies who are interested in NDDs.
In 2021-2022, KBHN embedded 222 trainees into its research teams. Plus, another 150 people joined them at the network’s training events, courses and conferences throughout the year. They all developed competencies that will help them advance on their career paths, whether in academia, government, industry, the non-profit sector or elsewhere.
An elected organization of 14 trainees called the Policy Advisory and Research Training (PART) Committee works to enhance the networking and professional development opportunities for all KBHN trainees. In 2021-2022, PART members:
- Began developing initiatives to promote more equitable and inclusive access to network-related funding and training opportunities
- Organized a professional-development webinar series
- Played a significant role in planning the 2021 KBHN Annual Conference: they helped to select abstracts for e-posters and lightening talks, they contributed to the adjudication of these presentations for awards, and they organized trainee events with guest speakers.
Our Trainees
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- ◼ 17 Postdoctoral fellows
- ◼ 20 Research associates
- ◼ 33 Doctoral students
- ◼ 20 Master’s students
- ◼ 45 Undergraduates
- ◼ 87 Technical/professional staff
Internships, Awards, Practicums and Fellowships
KBHN-Mitacs Awards
These awards fund projects that enhance services and supports for children with neurodevelopmental disabilities (NDDs) and their families across Canada. Trainees and their academic supervisors collaborate with a non-academic organization to make progress on real-world challenge areas.
Amount
$20,000, comprising a $5,000 contribution from KBHN that supplements the $15,000 Mitacs Accelerate Internship award.
2021-22 Awardees
https://kidsbrainhealth.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Emma_Duerden_round_375px-375px.pnghttps://kidsbrainhealth.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Abagail_Hennessy_round_375px-375px.png
Dr. Emma Duerden and Abagail Hennessey
(Western University) 
In partnership with Cambridge Brain Sciences, Dr. Duerden and Hennessey developed accessible online cognitive assessments for children with NDDs.https://kidsbrainhealth.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Christine_Gervais_round_375px-375px.pnghttps://kidsbrainhealth.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Elisa-Romano_round_375px-375px.pnghttps://kidsbrainhealth.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Danika_DeCarlo-Slobodnik_round_375px-375px.png
Dr. Christine Gervais, Elisa Romano and Danika DeCarlo-Slobodnik
(University of Ottawa)
In partnership with Adopt4Life, Gervais, Romano and DeCarlo-Slobodnik researched the perspectives of youth who engage in aggression toward family members or caregivers. Their findings will inform greatly needed services and prevention strategies.
Early Career Investigator & Mentorship Awards
These awards strengthen the research programs of early-career faculty members or principal investigators at universities or institutes. It allows them to recruit excellent trainees, foster their connections to community partners and build their capacity as researchers in the field of neurodevelopmental disabilities.
Amount
An award amount of $100,000 is contributed over two years. $50,000 is co-funded by KBHN and Brain Canada while the other $50,000 is from an eligible partner.
2021-22 Awardees
https://kidsbrainhealth.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Carly_McMorris_round_375px-375px.pngDr. Carly McMorris
(University of Calgary)
Dr. McMorris’s research examines the effectiveness of psychological interventions such as cognitive behaviour therapy (e.g. Facing Your Fears) for people with neurodevelopmental disabilities who experience mental-health issues. She also investigates why neurodiverse youth have a higher risk of experiencing mental–health challenges , and identifies ways to prevent this through programming (e.g., peer-mentorship initiatives; the Special Olympics).
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Dr. Ning Cheng
(University of Calgary)
Dr. Cheng’s research aims to shed light on the mechanisms of autism and related conditions such as Fragile X Syndrome. Ultimately, this knowledge will lead to the development of new therapeutic approaches for these conditions, and to changes in practice and policy that will improve health outcomes.https://kidsbrainhealth.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Sarah_Munce_round_375px-375px.png
Dr. Sarah Munce
(Toronto Rehabilitation Institute)
Dr. Munce’s research focuses on developing, implementing and evaluating transitional-care programs for people with complex neurological conditions. These include self-management, peer-support and vocational programs.
KBHN-Autism Alliance of Canada Policy Development Awards
This practicum gives KBHN trainees experience in policy development, writing for an audience of policymakers and facilitating engagement with community partners.
Amount
A $2,000 stipend and support to present at both the Canadian Autism Leadership Summit and the KBHN annual conference.
2021-22 Awardees
https://kidsbrainhealth.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Dahary_Hadas_round_375px-375px.pnghttps://kidsbrainhealth.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Jacalyn_Guy_round_375px-375px.pnghttps://kidsbrainhealth.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Jessi-Lewis_round_375px-375px-002.pnghttps://kidsbrainhealth.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Jessica-Baraskewich_round_375px-375px.pnghttps://kidsbrainhealth.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Wasan_Nagib_round_375px-375px_002.pnghttps://kidsbrainhealth.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/John_Sheehan_round_375px-375px.pnghttps://kidsbrainhealth.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Vanessa_Fong_round_375px-375px.png
Hadras Dahary (McGill University), Dr. Jacalyn Guy (University of Cambridge), Jessi Lewis (University of Victoria), Jessica Baraskewich (University of Calgary), Dr. Wasan Nagib (McMaster University), John Sheenan (University of Victoria) and Vanessa Fong (University of British Columbia).
The Autism Alliance of Canada (formerly the Canadian Autism Spectrum Disorder Alliance (CASDA)) prepared a Blueprint in response to the federal government’s commitment to developing a National Autism Strategy. The 2021 cohort of seven fellows led extensive consultations and co-produced three sets of policy briefs supporting this work.
Family Engagement in Research
Certified by McMaster University and co-sponsored by Kids Brain Health Network and CanChild, a 10-week course called the Family Engagement in Research (FER) Course brings families and researchers together to learn from each other about how to build a productive partnership. By doing so, it aims to shape the future of Canadian neurodevelopmental research, anchoring it in the real-life needs of children and their families.
Co-Developers
Dr. Andrea Cross, Connie Putterman, Donna Thomson, Dr. Dayle McCauley, Dr. Patty Solomon and Dr. Jan Willem Gorter of CanChild Centre for Childhood Disability Research at McMaster University
Highlights of 2021-2022
The course ran twice this year, allowing 61 new people to complete it. What’s more, FER’s founders and instructors introduced a new FER Leadership Academy to extend graduates’ impact in the community. It allows them to deepen their family-engagement skills through an enhanced curriculum and small-group mentoring.
As part of the requirements for the FER course, researchers and family members partner to create resources such as the infographic and the checklist below, both developed this year. They’re known as knowledge-translation tools because they help to spread knowledge and put it into action.
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You Matter: An infographic, available in English, Chinese and Farsi, created to increase immigrant families’ awareness of opportunities to engage in research.
https://kidsbrainhealth.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/balancing_power_500px-450px.jpgA checklist helping researchers to balance
the power dynamics in family engagement. https://kidsbrainhealth.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/icon_Researchers_Family_105px-105px-1.png117 researchers and 107 family members have completed the FER course, so far.
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It was empowering because now I know what a good relationship with researchers looks like.”
~ Parent and FER graduate |
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With increased competence and confidence, my goal now is to empower the quiet patients and families who often remain in the background to have a voice in research.”
~ Leadership Academy graduate |
2021–2022’s Outstanding Mentors and Trainees
Outstanding KBHN Trainee Member Award
These awards recognize a trainee’s outstanding contributions and commitment to KBHN.
Jessi Lewis
(University of Victoria)
Lewis is a doctoral student in clinical neuropsychology. Her research interests include the development and use of accessible, evidence-informed supports for youth with neurodevelopmental disabilities as a way to improve health-related quality of life, equity and inclusion. This interest informs her clinical practice as well: She works in assessment and therapy for youth and families with specific emphases in NDDs and culturally responsive assessment.
Her involvement with KBHN includes:
- Coordinating a clinical validation and implementation study of the Dino Island intervention, a resource for children with deficits in attention and executive function.
- Serving as co-chair of KBHN’s Policy, Advocacy, Research, and Training (PART) Committee. She’s also a member of its Trainee Webinar working group and is enjoying organizing unique and relevant training opportunities.
- Graduating from the Family Engagement in Research Course
- Exploring the impact of policy on the accessibility and availability of supports for children with NDDs. She was a 2021 KBHN-Autism Alliance of Canada policy fellow and continues to volunteer in policy working groups within the autism field.
Dino Island
A therapeutic game that improves attention, short-term memory and other skills in children with neurodevelopmental disabilities.
Principal investigators
Sarah J. Macoun, University of Victoria
Dino Island has benefited more than 2,000 families so far.
What it is
Dino Island is a tablet-based game designed specifically for children with neurodevelopmental disabilities. Studies in children with ASD and FASD have shown that it helps with attention, memory, self-regulation, emotional and behavioural control, self-efficacy, the use of problem-solving strategies and academic performance. A companion website trains therapists, teachers or parents to support children in playing the game and applying the skills it strengthens to other areas of life.
Highlights of 2021-2022
New implementation sites joined the project this year, including Calgary Quest School, a specialized school for kids with disabilities, and the Mayo Clinic, which will be conducting a trial with children who’ve been treated with cranial radiation for brain tumours.
The team also began studying how Dino Island works in private homes, under the supervision of parents. Based on participant feedback, they’ve made some changes to the intervention that will make it easier for families to monitor their progress and keep themselves motivated.
Dr. Samantha Micsinszki
(McMaster University) Dr. Micsinszki is a registered nurse and a postdoctoral fellow at CanChild and the School of Rehabilitation Science at McMaster University, as well as a trainee at the Bloorview Research Institute. She has a particular interest in patient and family engagement in research, as well as knowledge translation and research impact.
Her involvement with KBHN includes:
- Coordinating the Family Engagement in Research Course
- Leading the development of the Leadership Academy for FER-course graduates
- Participating in the PART Committee, where she was one of two trainee representatives on the KBHN 2021 Conference Planning Committee
Outstanding KBHN Promising Researcher Award
This award recognizes a trainee’s research achievements.
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Behnaz Bahmei
(Simon Fraser)
Behnaz is a PhD candidate studying mechatronic systems engineering. She is focused on addressing clinical problems using artificial intelligence techniques. Her doctoral research is about developing a device to help kids with autism cope with sound sensitivity.
Intelligent Device for Sound Sensitivity
A programmable device that will filter the soundscape for children with sound sensitivity and send a tolerable version of it into their earphones.
Principal investigators
Elina Birmingham, Simon Fraser University
Siamak Arzanpour, Simon Fraser University
What it is
Many children living with autism spectrum disorder are hypersensitive to certain sounds. Schools’ approaches for accommodating sound sensitivity include letting students wear earplugs or earmuffs or allowing them to take breaks in a quiet area. Because such strategies block or avoid all sounds indiscriminately, they interfere with the child’s full participation in class and other activities. This team of researchers is developing a device that selectively filters or reduces specific noises that a child finds distressing (e.g., dogs barking, sirens, jackhammers) while allowing them to hear other sounds such as the teacher’s voice.
Highlights of 2021-2022
This year, the team developed a sound-filtration technique that can remove aversive sounds while preserving the intelligibility of speech, even in complex noisy conditions. They also created a graphical user interface for the device, and an algorithm that will allow it to learn about new kinds of aversive sounds when users flag them. Only a few samples of these sounds are needed to help the device recognize them with acceptable accuracy.
Outstanding KBHN Mentor/Supervisor Awards
These awards are presented to researchers or professionals who provided outstanding, inspiring supervision or mentorship to KBHN trainees.https://kidsbrainhealth.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Andrea_Cross_round_375px-375px.pngDr. Andrea Cross
(McMaster University)
Dr. Cross is a postdoctoral fellow at CanChild Centre for Childhood Disability Research and a part-time assistant professor in the School of Rehabilitation Science at McMaster University. She is currently a co-principal investigator of a KBHN project to develop and evaluate a self-paced F-words Foundations Course for Families and Health Care Providers. In 2018, she co-developed the Family Engagement in Research (FER) Course with a team of parents and researchers. For her post-doctoral research, she is exploring the sustainability, scalability and long-term impacts of this initiative.
F-Words Foundations
A course that encourages people to approach childhood disability with a focus on factors that are important for all kids’ healthy development, namely functioning, family, fitness, fun, friends and the future.
1,050 people have accessed the F-Words course so far.
What it is
The ‘F-words’ are six key areas that this research team argues should be the focus in childhood disability. Built upon the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health framework, they encourage us to think about factors that are important to any child’s development and well-being, such as their activities and environment. Introducing this way of thinking to families and service providers can result in measurable changes to self-reported family empowerment, parenting confidence, and experiences of family-centred service.
Next Steps
This project aims to make foundational F-Words training available across Canada by creating a free, self-paced online course in English and French. The research team will evaluate its acceptability, feasibility and usability through online surveys and interviews. They’ll also compare it to an in-person version of the course.
https://kidsbrainhealth.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Sarah_J_Macoun_round_375px-375px.pngDr. Sarah J. Macoun
(University of Victoria)
Dr. Macoun is an associate professor in clinical psychology. She has more than 20 years of experience as a practicing registered clinical neuropsychologist and an applied researcher in hospital, school and community settings. For KBHN, she has led the development, piloting and validation of Dino Island, a cognitive intervention focused on attention and executive function. She also has over 15 years of experience in student training and supervision. She says this continues to be one of the most rewarding aspects of her career.
Dino Island
A therapeutic game that improves attention, short-term memory and other skills in children with neurodevelopmental disabilities.
Principal investigators
Sarah J. Macoun, University of Victoria
Dino Island has benefited more than 2,000 families so far.
What it is
Dino Island is a tablet-based game designed specifically for children with neurodevelopmental disabilities. Studies in children with ASD and FASD have shown that it helps with attention, memory, self-regulation, emotional and behavioural control, self-efficacy, the use of problem-solving strategies and academic performance. A companion website trains therapists, teachers or parents to support children in playing the game and applying the skills it strengthens to other areas of life.
Highlights of 2021-2022
New implementation sites joined the project this year, including Calgary Quest School, a specialized school for kids with disabilities, and the Mayo Clinic, which will be conducting a trial with children who’ve been treated with cranial radiation for brain tumours.
The team also began studying how Dino Island works in private homes, under the supervision of parents. Based on participant feedback, they’ve made some changes to the intervention that will make it easier for families to monitor their progress and keep themselves motivated.