|
|
|
Greetings!
In this issue of CanChild Today, we are pleased to announce a new service offered by CanChild, as well as highlighting recent publications by CanChild scientists, research associates, and PhD students. Please feel free to share CanChild resources and this newsletter with family, friends and colleagues. They can subscribe to the CanChild Today e-Newsletter for free by registering here. Our past issues are archived on the CanChild website, and can be accessed here! Check our What's New page for new postings on our website.
|
| CanChild launches new service to improve care to families and support organizations |
CanChild is excited to announce the launch of its new Measurement and Analysis Service. This service, beginning with the Measure of Processes of Care-20 (MPOC-20), will provide consultation, electronic data collection, analysis and reporting to organizations for a fee. To learn more, click here. The new service will benefit families by assisting organizations to provide services that are more family-centred, a best practice in pediatric rehabilitation. We are really pleased to be able to assist organizations to improve their services to children and families. To inquire about this service for your organization please contact canchild@mcmaster.ca.
|
|
Successful Transition to Adulthood for Youth with Developmental Disabilities
This article presents some practical suggestions for families of youth with Down syndrome who are preparing to transition to adulthood:
- build capacity for future employment by arranging co-operative education and volunteer experiences in high school
- encourage youth to take charge over their own information; mentors may facilitate this process
- build a circle of support...people who will stay actively connected to the youth
- consider parent navigators to guide and coach parents through the transition process
Reprinted with the kind permission of the Down Syndrome Research Foundation. Click here to view full article!
|
|
Recent Publications by CanChild Members
|
Measure of Processes of Care: A review of 20 years of research
The Measure of Processes of Care (MPOC) was developed as a tool to measure family-centred services (FCS). Over the past 20 years the MPOC has been used in settings additional to the children's treatment centres for which it was designed; used in 11 countries and translated into 14 languages. The literature on findings of the MPOC to assess FCS was reviewed in this article. Results: MPOC measures are robust and have been shown to be valid in many settings, across countries, languages, and cultures. Published in Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology. Authors: BJ Cunningham, P Rosenbaum. Abstract.
This research describes overall patterns of health-related quality of life for children and youth with disabilities, examines changes in parents' perceptions of their child's health-related quality of life across 18 months, and explores factors that predict these changes. Participants were 427 parents of children with a physical disability, 6 - 14 years of age. Results: On average, children did not change significantly over time for physical summary scores and there was a small significant increase in psychosocial health. Change in physical QoL scores over time was influenced by children's behavioral difficulties, family functioning and environmental barriers. While environmental barriers, behavioral difficulties, family functioning/impact and general health influenced psychosocial scores at baseline, none predicted change over time. Authors: M Law, S Hanna, D Anaby, M Kertoy, G King, L Xu. Access to full article in BMC Pediatrics!
Complexities during transitions to adulthood for youth with disabilities: Person-environment interactions
The purpose of this qualitative study published in Disability and Rehabilitation was to explore the experiences of youth with different disabilities from across Canada during their transitions from adolescence to adulthood. Over 50 people, including youth with different disabilities, parents/caregivers and service providers from different organizations participated in individual and/or focus group interviews. Conclusions: The complexities involved in the interactions between person and environment during transitions to adulthood appear to be similar for youth with different types of disabilities. Recommendations are provided to address these complexities using holistic, strengths-based and collaborative approaches. Authors: D Stewart, M Law, NL Young, M Forhan, H Healy, J Burke-Gaffney, M Freeman. Abstract.
Child engagement in daily life: A measure of participation for young children with cerebral palsy
The psychometric properties of the Child Engagement in Daily Life measure were tested in this study. Participants were 429 children with cerebral palsy (CP) and their parents and 110 parents of children without CP. Parents completed the Child Engagement in Daily Life measure and therapists assessed the children's gross motor function for the Move & PLAY Study. Results: Participation in family and recreational activities and self-care for young children with CP can be reliably and validly assessed using the Child Engagement in Daily Life measure. Published in Disability & Rehabilitation. Authors: LA Chiarello, RJ Palisano, SW McCoy, DJ Bartlett, A Wood, HJ Chang, LJ Kang, L Avery. Abstract.
Psychological distress in children with developmental coordination disorder and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder
This study explored psychological distress in a population-based sample of children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD), with and without co-morbid attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Children were identified through child-report and parent-report, assessed by occupational therapists and then grouped into one of 4 groups: DCD only, ADHD only, DCD and ADHD, and typical development. Symptoms of depression and anxiety were also measured by child and parent report. Results: Children with DCD showed significantly more symptoms of depression and anxiety than typically developing children. Children who had both DCD and ADHD were particularly at heightened risk. Published in Research in Developmental Disabilities. Authors: C Missiuna, J Cairney, N Pollock, W Campbell, DJ Russell, K MacDonald, L Schmidt, N Heath, S Veldhuizen, M Cousins. Abstract.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Support
CanChild |
If you find the CanChild resources useful, please help us to continue sharing the most current information with families and service providers by donating to CanChild. You can do this online by clicking here. Donating online is now much easier and provides an immediate electronic receipt.
| | Contact Us: if you have any questions or comments, please contact us at canchild@mcmaster.ca. |
|
|
