'A good clown is a mask that reveals'

By Louise Kinross Helen Donnelly is Holland Bloorview’s Dr. Flap—a therapeutic clown in a trademark aviator hat with goggles, a white medical coat and a red nose. Her title is therapeutic clown, but she says “therapeutic clown practitioner” is more fitting. “Dr. Flap is the therapeutic clown,” she says. “The practitioner is the clinician under the nose.” Helen came to Holland Bloorview in 2007 to join Ricky, the clown we knew as Jamie Burnett,...

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Tailored by touch

Two Blind Brothers is a new luxury clothing brand in New York City named for its owners—brothers Bradford, (right) 31, and Bryan Manning, 26. Bradford and Bryan have Stargardt disease, which is a type of macular degeneration that causes blindness. The company's mission is to cure eye disease by donating all profits to research. The clothing line tells the brothers' story: Bradford and Bryan use their heightened sense of touch to select the softest...

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A new approach to autism

By Louise Kinross Jessica Brian is a psychologist and clinician investigator at Holland Bloorview who co-leads our Autism Research Centre. She researches the earliest signs of autism in babies and develops and tests parent-led interventions for toddlers. She came to Holland Bloorview from SickKids in 2004, when the child development program moved here. When Jessica isn’t answering research questions, she does assessments with families who are...

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Down syndrome ad makes light of 'special needs'

Tuesday is World Down Syndrome Day. Italy's CoorDown, a national group representing people with Down syndrome, released this humorous ad that questions the euphemism "special needs," suggesting people with Down syndrome merely have human needs. Go to www.notspecialneeds.com to learn more about the rationale for the campaign, which was produced by Publicis New York. Meo...

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Ending stigma is an inside job

By Louise Kinross Yesterday I was interviewed by someone who’s writing a paper about stigma.I got to answer questions about what disability stigma is and how we might help eliminate it.Years ago I came across this useful definition: Stigma is “the recognition of difference based on some distinguishing characteristic, or ‘mark’ and a consequent devaluing of the person...Stigmatized individuals are regarded as flawed, compromised and somehow...

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A sister's story fuels this scientist

By Louise Kinross Krissy Doyle-Thomas is a neuroscientist at Holland Bloorview. She's studying whether a brain-imaging tool that detects blood oxygen levels can identify pain in children with autism who use little or no speech. CBC profiled Krissy during Black History Month as one of 150 black women who have made a place in Canadian history for excellence in their field. BLOOM: What led you into children’s rehab?Krissy Doyle-Thomas:...

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'The goals of the family direct where we go'

By Louise KinrossErin Brandon is one of seven nurse practitioners at Holland Bloorview. She runs two clinics—one for families of children with cerebral palsy and complex medical needs and one for families of girls with Rett syndrome. Her appointments last up to two hours and include comprehensive medical assessments, community resource planning and troubleshooting and the emotional support that enables families to care for children with high...

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'It's not just for Joey, it's for a better world'

By Louise Kinross British director Stephen Unwin is set to direct his new play All Our Children—about a German clinic in 1941 that sends disabled children to their death as part of the Nazis' killing program. BLOOM interviewed Stephen in 2013 about his role directing Peter Nichols’ A Day in the Death of Joe Egg, a 1967 comedy about parenting a child with profound disabilities. Both plays strike close to home because Stephen’s son Joey, 20,...

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