BLOOM combines real family stories with the best expert advice, plus the latest news and opinion on disability.
'It's like the only thing I'm allowed to be is strong'
A study that found suicidal thoughts common in parents of disabled children has been the most read BLOOM story since it was published in August 2024, reaching over 6,100 people.
'My Beijing' is about the adventures of a girl and her grandfather
My Beijing: Four Stories of Everyday Wonder is a gorgeous watercolour children's book by Nie Jun that was released in September.
My daughter is not an animal at the zoo
By Christina HerbersWe saw pandas! We saw lemurs! We saw bears and zebras and hippos. We were just a family visiting the zoo. And then we...
Weight 'talks' leave autistic youth feeling blamed, shamed
Obesity in children is one of the most serious public health challenges according to the World Health Organization. Children with autism ...
How vulnerable brains find workarounds is this scientist's passion
Dr. Tomáš Paus is fascinated by brains—not individual brains, but the study of hundreds of thousands of them. As a neuroscientist, he studies how our genes, and our physical and social environments
U of T course makes room for kids who grow 'sideways'
A couple of years ago I connected with Anne McGuire, an assistant professor in the Equity Studies Program at the University of Toronto, after she co-wrote a critique of the Hospital for Sick Children
Why silence is golden after doctors express empathy
Every day, doctors in children’s hospitals meet with parents to talk about life and death medical decisions. It may be whether to surgically create a hole in a child’s windpipe to place a breathing
'I want a job where I play with toys and make kids feel awesome'
Lisa Kakonge is a speech-language pathologist with Holland Bloorview's brain injury program. She did her training in Albany, New York, but always planned on coming back to Toronto, and had her eye on
Why parents get hooked on 'normal'
On Friday I did a narrative workshop with developmental pediatrician and psychology fellows at Holland Bloorview.
Listening to a band or hosting a tea party makes therapy more fun
Carling Robertson (right) is an occupational therapist assistant at Holland Bloorview. She works with children with brain injury and youth preparing for employment. After doing an undergraduate degree
'The biggest thing is just... the joy'
We're excited to share our new A Family Like Mine video! This one features Joanne Downing and her husband Mark, and their children Katherine, Matthew and Andrew.
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