Studies focus on inclusive school spaces, affordable housing and online education modules to recognize signs of ABI
The Government of Canada’s Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) recently announced a new round of research grants awarded to the Bloorview Research Institute.
Thes latest grants are among $7.4 million in external funding that the research institute received over the last fiscal year to fuel advances in pediatric disability and developmental differences research, enabling children and youth to live healthy and meaningful lives.
Advancing Schoolyard Inclusion for Autistic Children and Youth
While progress is being made in making schoolyards more accessible, the schoolyard design experiences and preferences of autistic children and youth, as well as their families, are often overlooked. This arts-informed study is aimed at addressing this knowledge gap by examining the schoolyard experiences and preferences of autistic children and youth and their families.
Led by scientist Dr. Tim Ross and his EPIC Lab research team, this study will also explore how autistic children and youth and their families would change the design and operation of schoolyards to enhance social inclusion, participation, and education access.
The study is funded by a SSHRC Insight Development grant.
Lived Experiences of Accessible and Affordable Housing Among Children and Youth with Disabilities and Identifying Solutions
Children and youth with disabilities and their families often experience significant challenges in securing housing that meets their needs. Through this six-year study, Dr. Sally Lindsay, a senior scientist and lead investigator of this study, will explore the lived experiences of children and youth in accessing accessible and affordable housing. She and her research team will identify and prioritize solutions that will inform the development of more inclusive and accessible housing practices, policies and interventions to improve the housing needs of this population.
Acquired brain injury (ABI) is a leading cause of death in disability in children and often difficult to detect because there aren’t any visible signs of injury.
To help educators understand how to recognize signs of ABI in students, Dr. Shannon Scratch, a clinician scientist and clinical neuropsychologist, and her research team have developed an online education module for educators, TeachABI. The team has piloted the program with small groups of educators to examine how the program supported their knowledge of ABI in the classroom with positive results.
With this new Insight grant, Scratch and her team will assess TeachABI’s effectiveness by pilot testing the program with partner schools over the next five years to create more inclusive and supportive classrooms for all.
