Projects – Cycle II

Challenge There is a lot of academic writing on the challenges faced by children and youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), however, much of what’s known is based on parent report or researchers’ observations. We know very little about the lived experiences of youth with ASD, from their own perspectives. ‘Giving voice’ (including to those [...]

Challenge One of the primary treatments for cerebral palsy (CP) is constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT). CIMT immobilizes the stronger limb, forcing the patient to use – and hopefully improve function - in the weaker one. Our researcher team (led by Dr. Derek van der Kooy, University of Toronto) investigated why CIMT works. They believed it [...]

Challenge Children with neurodevelopmental disabilities and their families have specific needs that are often left unmet by services. This fact necessitates a means of collecting and providing the skills, knowledge and expertise to address their concerns. Project Summary The TotTech team functions as an engineering hub to provide biomedical, mechanical and computer engineering expertise that [...]

Challenge It is well established that children benefit from physical activity. But for children with neurodevelopmental disabilities, participating in these activities is often challenging, which prevents them from engaging and, in turn, limits their development even further. Project Summary Community-based physical activity programs (PAPs) represent a low-cost, high-impact intervention strategy that can improve the function [...]

Challenge Adolescents with autism often struggle with anxiety, depression, stress and attention.  While cognitive behavioural approaches can support many autistic youth, research shows that many participants will fail to respond to these kinds of treatments, and many of these interventions are targeted only at children 12 years of age and younger. Project Summary Based on [...]

A National Team Approach Challenge Early diagnosis and early intervention for children with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) can help improve future development, increase social integration and allow better academic success. Scientists and clinicians have been increasingly interested in early diagnostic tools to assess brain function and cerebral activity, known as electroencephalographic (EEG) and optical imaging (near-infrared [...]

Challenge More than 770,000 Canadians are currently living with ASD, FASD or CP — the most common neurodevelopmental disabilities. Treatments for these conditions have been focused on behavioural and symptom management because there now are no cures or effective preventions. For health care decision-makers to be able to make informed choices, there needs to be [...]

Challenge Children with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) often experience atypical auditory processing — specifically hypersensitivity to sound. This sensitivity can be so severe that it prevents people with NDD from fully participating in social settings. While there are existing solutions, they often involve entirely removing a child from a noisy environment or using noise reduction devices [...]

Challenge The Canadian Cerebral Palsy Registry initially launched in 2003 as a platform to store data from people diagnosed with cerebral palsy (CP). It has since expanded to include more than 2,250 participants with the disorder and has resulted in more than 35 academic publications. The next phase of the project is looking to expand [...]

Challenge Disability is associated with increased health and social service costs that vary significantly with the severity of the disability. In Canada, estimating the costs associated with a neurodevelopmental disorder (NDD) is challenging because the diagnosis process is lengthy. There are many costs to consider throughout a person’s lifespan, such as medical care, educational expenses [...]