Dr. Kaitlyn McLachlan

Challenge Every person with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) has their own strengths and challenges. That means there is no one-size-fits-all pathway through the available interventions and services. Families have to figure out what makes the most sense given their child’s needs, age, goals and context. Project Summary Kids Health Brain Network has [...]

Challenge While every neurodevelopmental disability (NDD) has its unique challenges, there are consistencies among them, one of which is the difficulties parents face navigating the system. Project Summary The Integrated Navigational Support Program is working to make it easier for families to access supports and services. The project currently has three sites—Vancouver, Edmonton, and [...]

Challenge Following an FASD diagnostic assessment, individuals will receive a list of recommendations about services, supports and interventions with which to connect. The challenge is that the recommendations are often lengthy, may not always be understandable to families, and are provided and explained at at time when individuals and families are feeling overwhelmed. Project Summary [...]

A Pilot in Alberta, British Columbia and the Yukon Challenge Children with neurodevelopmental disabilities (NDDs) often navigate a confusing patchwork of uncoordinated services. These services span several different sectors, organizations and layers of government. Research shows that families frequently struggle to determine what supports are available, appropriate and accessible —especially at crucial life junctures such [...]

Challenge Children are usually school-aged by the time they receive a diagnosis for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. However, evidence indicates that early intervention is beneficial. Having reliable biomarkers to detect changes related to prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) could allow clinicians to identify FASD in children at a younger age and therefore provide earlier access to [...]