Prepare your child to take on the world

By Louise Kinross Giving a child the words and confidence to describe disability at a young age is important. That’s why Grade 1 students at the Bloorview School participate in 20 weekly sessions on self-advocacy before they graduate and move to a community school.Betty Chan, an occupational therapist who leads the program with Grade 1 teacher Bayan Yammout and others, says that parents can adapt it for use at home. Here are 10 steps.1. Introduce...

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Free to move, free to learn

By Louise Kinross For three months researcher Coralee McLaren watched 20 kindergarten children play in the Bloorview School—some with disabilities and some without—to study the relationship between how they moved and their physical environment. Recent brain research shows that when children are free to move naturally they interact with objects and features of their environment in a way that promotes learning. But what does this mean for children...

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In the community, but alone

By Liz Lewis What does it mean to be part of a community? To recognize oneself and be recognized as a member of a social group, neighbourhood, or everyday world? As an anthropologist, these questions are standard fare. As the only sister of a woman with disabilities and deafblindness, they are deeply personal. On paper, my adult sister has a great setup. Katie receives government funding to live in a home five minutes from my parents, with...

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What is 'progress' in prenatal testing?

By Louise Kinross Yesterday I was contacted by a researcher at Duke University who wanted to interview me about a new blood test that can detect micro-deletions like my son’s genetic condition—Langer-Giedion Syndrome—as early as 10 weeks into a pregnancy.I’ve written about the issues I have with prenatal testing: that it’s increasingly viewed as a standard of medical care and social responsibility, rather than a woman’s choice, and that when...

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My autism and me

ICYMI. Lovely video by a 13-year-old who explains her autism, then interviews other children about how autism affects them, including her brother...

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Look how far we've come

Earlier this year, Sheila Jarvis announced her intention to step down as President and CEO of Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital after 18 years. Here she shares the challenges, milestones and triumphs during her remarkable leadership.BLOOM: What changes have you seen at Holland Bloorview?Sheila Jarvis: I came in 1996 and the most significant part of those early days was bringing together the Hugh MacMillan Rehabilitation Centre and...

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New legal service aids Holland Bloorview families

By Louise Kinross Your child has a disability and needs regular medical visits, but your boss threatens to fire you if you take the time off.This is the kind of issue parents bring to Pro Bono Law Ontario at Holland Bloorview, a free legal service on non-medical issues that may compromise a family’s ability to care for their child with special needs. The service, led by our new onsite lawyer Hannah Lee, is offered to Holland Bloorview...

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'No brother or sister should grow up thinking I'm the only one'

By Louise Kinross Last year Dutch journalist Anjet van Dijken published the Brothers and Sisters Book, a first in Holland for siblings of children with disabilities, chronic health conditions and/or mental illness. Anjet, 38 (above left), grew up with an older brother Jalbert (right), who was born with a visual disability and autism due to exposure to an infection during his mother’s pregnancy. In her book, Anjet interviews 36 siblings aged six...

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Mia meets a butterfly

By Louise Kinross Mia Pruder’s sparkly-gold nails clicked excitedly on her wheelchair tray. The seven-year-old was in her hospital room at Holland Bloorview and a large, clear canister with a newly-hatched monarch butterfly was placed on her tray. It perched, with its brilliant orange wings tipped with white dots and marked with black veins, on the side of the container.Several green chrysalides hung from the mesh lid, each with a strip of...

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When is giving up a rehab goal a smart thing?

By Louise Kinross Children’s rehab is often focused on improving a person’s ability in a specific area or in achieving functional goals. The use of  “goal” language seems to be directed primarily at children with disabilities. As a kid without a disability, I don't recall a lot of talk about my goals growing up. I didn’t feel external pressure to “reach my potential”—which seems to be the marker for success placed on every child...

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