family engagement

F-Words Training Project Summary: Functioning, Family, Fitness, Fun, Friends, and Future CanChild’s ‘F‐words for Child Development’ offer a fresh way for everyone to look at health. Based on World Health Organization (WHO) concepts, they present a holistic, strengths‐based, function‐promoting, family‐centred approach to child health. These ideas have captured the attention of [...]

Challenge Many autistic children experience high levels of emotional and behavioural challenges that are often long-lasting and stressful. Parents and caregivers play a powerful role in supporting their kids’ emotional wellbeing. Research has shown that certain factors (such as caregiver mental health, social connections, and access to services) can influence autistic children’s wellbeing in [...]

Challenge Thousands of Canadian children living with severe physical disabilities are intellectually capable but unable to move independently. They are trapped inside their bodies, deprived of their fundamental human rights to interact, and participate. BCi-Move Project Summary An emerging technology, brain‐computer interfaces (BCIs), are a potential solution. BCIs allow individuals to interact with [...]

Challenge Imagine worrying that something is not quite right with the way your infant is communicating or being told in preschool that your child has a significant speech delay. Next, imagine being on a waitlist for more than a year, and watching your child fall further behind in their language skills. Sadly, such stories [...]

Challenge Many families of children with neurodevelopmental disabilities (NDDs) don’t want to be just passive research subjects; instead, they want to be active research partners. A project tends to have greater relevance when it arises directly from the needs and priorities of families rather than solely the interests of researchers or their funders. Despite this, [...]

Challenge By involving family members of children with neurodevelopmental disabilities as partners in the research process, we can better address the needs of families. More importantly, research results will have a more significant impact on the target audience.  Many families are eager to get involved in neurodevelopmental research, but don't necessarily have the experience or [...]

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 For families of children with neurodevelopmental disabilities (NDD), significant barriers exist in accessing trusted sources of new and existing knowledge, and in the lack of opportunities available to share their experiences. By participating in research, families and youth can help address these issues, impact change and be empowered. Jan Willem Gorter and Dayle McCauley [...]