June 2015
CanChild Today
 

Welcome to the June edition of CanChild Today! We are pleased to highlight recent activities and publications by CanChild team members, and feature evidence-based concussion research in recognition of Brain Injury Awareness month. Additionally, we are thrilled to celebrate the recognition of our CanChild Co-Founder, Peter Rosenbaum, as the recipient of the inaugural Medal of Excellence in Childhood Disability!

 

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Featured CanChild Resources!

CanChild is pleased to offer the Participation and Environment Measure - Children and Youth (PEM-CY) in the following languages: English, French, Arabic, German, Icelandic, Italian, Korean, Portuguese, Serbian and Turkish. 

The PEM-CY is a measure that evaluates participation in the home, at school, and in the community, alongside environmental factors within each of these settings. This measure is the first of its kind as it assesses both participation and environmental factors in the same framework. 

The PEM-CY allows parents and service providers to understand more about a child/youth's current level of participation, while encouraging problem solving strategies around changeable elements within each setting to better support further participation. It can be used for children and youth between the ages of 5 to 17 years-old, with or without disabilities.



June is Brain Injury Awareness Month

Concussion Research at CanChild: Education is the Key to Protecting Children's Brains

Concussion, or mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI), is a common problem that can have lasting consequences if proper precautions are not taken. CanChild is engaged in research to help children recover from MTBI and get safely back to school and play!

CanChild offers several evidence-based concussion management resources, including:


Want to get involved in concussion research at CanChild?
 
CanChild has three ongoing concussion studies and we are actively recruiting! Due to the limited public services in the community, these research studies offer a unique opportunity for children, youth and their family to receive: 

1) concussion management education; 
2) symptom and activity monitoring; 
3) balance & neurocognitive testing; and 
4) depression screening. 

If you have had a concussion or know someone who does, please visit our website for more information (http://canchild.ca/en/ourresearch/ABI-Recruitment.asp) or contact us at concuss@mcmaster.ca.

Please note that participation will require attending on-site sessions at McMaster University (Hamilton, Ontario). 
Honours and Awards

Peter Rosenbaum wins Medal of Excellence in childhood disability

Photo courtesy of the Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital
Peter Rosenbaum, CanChild Co-founder and McMaster University Professor in pediatrics, has been awarded the inaugural Medal of Excellence in Childhood Disability from the Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital.

The new medal is the hospital's highest honour, recognizing a current leader who has made significant advances and a global impact in the field of childhood disability. The award is for Rosenbaum's positive influence and lifetime commitment to improving the lives of children with disabilities and their families.

"I am both delighted and humbled to receive the inaugural Holland Bloorview Medal of Excellence in Childhood Disability," said Rosenbaum. "To me this award celebrates the often overlooked field of research in childhood disability, whereas between CanChild at McMaster University and Holland Bloorview in Toronto, we are recognized around the world for the quality and relevance of our work, and the impact that it is having on the lives of young people with impairments and their families."

Save the Date!

OBI CP-NET Science & Family Day | October 7, 2015 | Toronto, ON

Join CP-NET on World CP Day (October 7) for the 2nd Annual "Creating Possibilities for CP: CP-NET Science & Family Day". This fun and informative day will feature the latest CP-NET research and technology advancements, as well as many opportunities for families and researchers to connect, network, and learn more about resources in the community! 

More details coming soon - stay tuned!

CP-NET is an Integrated Discovery Program carried out in partnership with the Ontario Brain Institute.
 
CanChild Community News!

Implementation Science: Realities and Lessons Learned
ASHA video series with Wenonah Campbell
 
The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) recently produced a series of videos featuring CanChild Scientist Wenonah Campbell about her involvement in the Partnering for Change project, and about her perspectives on
Courtesy of the ASHA
using implementation science in clinical practice research. The videos are featured in ASHA's newly launched Clinical Research Education Library, which is a virtual resource that connects emerging and established scientists with resources on topics critical to the conduct and advancement of clinical research in speech-language pathology and audiology. 


CanChild Around the World!

Excerpt from "Disability, Nepal and F-Words"
By Deepa Bajracharya

What better a start for a blog than to write about something that has been researched over more than two decades in the field of disability. F-words are concepts that Professor Peter Rosenbaum and Professor Jan Willem Gorter from CanChild in Canada have so cleverly put forward that can be memorized and used in everyday life when we come across people with disabilities (PWD) as caregivers, therapists, teachers, scientists and others who are intertwined into the lives of PWDs.

Let's begin our journey from what we currently understand and how we practice in the immediate environment of the PWD in Nepal. Many current practices in Nepal are based on old concepts and they no longer serve the needs of the families
Photo courtesy of Deepa Bajracharya
with disability. There are many factors such as financial limitations and cultural limitations and gaps in knowledge which prevent optimal practice in health care to this group of people. This article will help bridge this gap in health care and create awareness regarding the optimum type of services to be expected by the family members and consumers. 

As a physiotherapist interacting with children with disabilities I myself do understand that most of us enter this field of rehabilitation thinking that we can "fix" people with disability. Or to be more precise, we want to "cure" the conditions. This is a "Biomedical" model which if applied to an acute condition makes sense. I myself have struggled thinking and practicing these "curing" techniques on my clients. However with time, I have come to realize that there is so much more to it.
 

 
Recent Publications by CanChild Members

While developmental coordination disorder (DCD) affects about 5%-6% of school-aged children (more than 400 000 children in Canada), the disorder often goes unrecognized by healthcare professionals. Supported by the findings of recent systematic reviews and evidence-based recommendations from the European Academy of Childhood Disability, this article defines DCD, describes how it is diagnosed, discusses associated risk factors and consequences, and presents evidence of potential interventions. Authors: Harris S, Mickelson E, Zwicker J. CMAJ June 16, 2015 vol. 187 no. 9 First published May 25, 2015, doi:10.1503/cmaj.140994 [Open access]

 

 

Virtual reality (VR) video games, offering motivating, full-body movement practice, are being embraced by rehabilitation practitioners worldwide. However, as these games were developed for recreational use, several challenges must be overcome before VR can be effectively implemented in a clinical setting. Looking specifically at Microsoft's Kinect for Xbox 360, this article  details the development and preliminary evaluation of a resource that provides clinicians with information about how to best use VR games for clinical practice, including game selection and implementation to address specific therapy goals. Authors: Levac D, Espy D, Fox E, Pradhan S, Deutsch JE. Phys Ther. 2015 Mar;95(3):426-40. doi: 10.2522/ptj.20130618. 


Predictors of Independent Walking in Young Children With Cerebral Palsy.

For children with cerebral palsy (CP), the ability to walk can impact long-term independence in mobility and participation in everyday activities. Attaining independent walking is therefore an important focus of therapy intervention; however, a better understanding of contributing factors to the attainment of walking is needed in order to better guide physical therapy approaches. This study aimed to identify the factors in children (including postural control, functional strength and motivation) that predict independent walking one year later. Authors: Begnoche D, Chiarello L, Palisano R, Gracely E, Westcott McCoy S, Orlin M. Phys Ther. 2015 Jun 18. [Epub ahead of print]

 
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